Only You Can Save Me
by DamonsDarkness
Summary: Sometimes life can be cruel and take the ones you love away from you. When Edward moves to Forks the last thing he wants is attention, especially from girls. But what happens when 1 girl in particular captures his heart... Can he ignore her? E/B human.
1. Chapter 1

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**Only You Can Save Me**

I've been living in Forks now for about four months. I don't mind living with my father, Charlie, and the friends I've made here are alright… It's just… I feel a little empty on the inside… Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing something from my life. I sighed, turned the ignition off and grabbed my school bag. I hadn't even made it out of the car park before Mike noticed me and came rushing over to greet me with an overly big smile.

"Hello Bella. My, my don't you look as lovely as ever today"

"Oh, thanks Mike" I gave him a weak smile.

Mike was a lovely guy and all, but I really wasn't interested in him in _that_ way. He has tried on a number of occasions over the last four months to get me to go out on a date with him, but I always managed to come up with plausible excuses.

"So, ready for another exciting day at Forks High?" He nudged my upper arm with his elbow.

"Um, yeah… Can't wait" I said without showing any enthusiasm.

"Come on Bella" He said cheerfully as he placed his arm around my shoulders. "It's not all that bad"

"Some days seem worse than others" I mumbled as I spun around and managed to get out of his grip, just in time to see a silver Volvo pulling up the car park.

Mike turned around and followed my gaze to see what I was looking at. A guy I'd never seen before casually stepped out of the vehicle and ran his hand through his thick, bronze coloured hair.

"Oh my god! Who is _that_?" I heard Angela shriek as she came up beside me, closely followed by a drooling Jessica.

"He's heavenly" Jessica breathed as she fanned herself with her hand.

"Oh please!" I heard Mike sighed in annoyance. "Look at him. He probably thinks he's a god or something"

"Maybe he is…" Angela said quietly as this new guy started to head in our direction.

I stood there in silence. This guy looked perfect, sure, but I had to agree with Mike… He seemed a little arrogant.

By now a lot of girls had notice this 'heavenly god' strolling through the car park, and within moments he was swarmed by them, each one dying to introduce themselves to him. But the strangest thing was that he ignored _all_ of them! He didn't even lift his head to look at how pretty some of them were.

"What an arrogant arsehole!" Mike cursed, turning to me and guiding me up the stairs towards the school building.

"He seems a little intimidating though…" Angela spoke to Jessica as we were walking down the corridor towards our English room. They were trailing behind Mike and me, chatting non-stop about the new guy.

"I know! Did you see his stern facial expression? He's clearly angry about something" Jessica said.

"He's probably just annoyed at having to start a new school" I suggested.

When we finally reached our English room, I noticed that one of my shoe laces was undone so I stopped and crouched down, just outside the door.

"I'll save you a seat, Bella" I heard Mike say as everyone including himself pilled into the classroom.

I quickly tied my laces and went to hurry inside, when I lost my balance and stumbled on the doorstep. Everyone inside gasped as a set of strong hands grabbed me from behind and stopped me from falling flat on my face. Once I was stable on my feet, I turned around and looked up to see the new 'god' blankly staring down at me.

"Um… Thanks" I said nervously tucking some of my brown hair behind my ear.

He remained silent, even as some of the girls clapped. He then walked around me and headed straight to the empty desk behind Mike. I followed him down the same aisle, and took a seat next to Mike, who appeared to have a sour look on his face. Once I had settled down and taken my books out of my bag, I couldn't help but feel the new guy's eyes boring into the back of my head. I was considering turning around to take a peek, when for some reason Mike decided to wrap his arm over my shoulders.

"What are you doing?" I whispered strongly to him.

Mike simply smiled at me before glancing over his shoulder to make sure this new guy was watching. What happened next has hilarious. Out the corner of my eye I saw the new guy kick the chair right out from underneath Mike, which sent him falling to the ground. I couldn't help but laugh seeing Mike down on his butt, swearing at the faulty chair legs. But I knew there was nothing wrong with his chair. I turned around and smiled at the new guy, but his gaze bored so deeply into mine, that I had to look away.

Finally the lesson was over, and I watched as the new guy bolted out of the room as quickly as possible.

The rest of the day went rather fast and before I knew it, it was lunch time.

"I wonder where the new guy is…" Jessica said as I took a seat in between her and Mike.

"Who knows, maybe he's too scared he'll be swarmed by girls" Mike chuckled before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Does anyone even know his name yet?" Angela asked.

Eric sneaked up behind her and grabbed one of her fries. "I heard one of the teachers address him as Mr. Cullen… No one's been able to get a first name out of him yet. He won't talk to anyone"

"Cullen eh? Well that's what we'll call him then if he won't provide us with any other name" Jessica said.

"Oh by the way, have you all signed up for the dance class that starts after school tomorrow?" Angela spoke up, changing the subject.

Everyone said that they had already signed up apart from Mike and me. I wasn't into dancing.

"Come one guys, it'll be fun!" Angela said, pleading for us to join.

"I hate dancing" Mike groaned.

"And I'm terrible on my feet" I said truthfully.

"You've got to give it a go, Bella. I'm sure you'll make a wonderful dancer if you put in some effort" Eric said, patting me on the back.

To shut them up and make them all happy, I decided I'd give it a go seeing as they all were. Mike stood his ground though; he worked most nights after school anyway, so he wouldn't have the time.

"You better go see Ms Waters and put your name down before all the spots fill out" Jessica said.

So that's how I spent most of my lunch time… Searching the school for Ms Waters. I eventually found her in one of the staff rooms, and she was delighted to see that I was giving dancing a go. On my way past the music rooms, I began to hear a piano playing the most soothing melody I'd ever heard. Creeping closer to the room where the music was coming from, I peered inside to see who was playing. I immediately raised a hand to my mouth in shock, as I saw 'Cullen' sitting at the piano, delicately running his fingers along the keys. He must have felt my presence, as he abruptly stopped playing and shot his head around.

"Oh, hello..." I said, giving him a small, nervous smile as I glanced over his face.

He stared up at me with his eyebrows furrowed. It was clear to me that I wasn't going to get a response out of him. "I'm sorry it's just, geez… That sounded so beautiful and I was curious to see who was playing"

"Well, now you know" He said without any emotion in his voice.

"Ah! So you _do_ speak!" I laughed, but he didn't seem to think it was funny at all. "Sorry about that. Um…" I awkwardly shifted my weight from one foot to the next. "Ok, well I guess I better go and leave you in peace…"

"What's your name?" He called out, just as I had turned to leave.

I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned back around to face him. Even though he was about six metres away from me, I could still see his piecing eyes burning straight into mine.

"Bella Swan" I whispered.

For the first time since this guy had stepped foot onto school grounds, he smiled. It was only a little one, but it still made my stomach flip to know that he had the effort to give me one.

As I was staring at his perfect lips, I almost didn't hear him say "I'm Edward Cullen"

My eyes grew wide and I leant against the door frame for support. "_Really_? Wow!" I said, sounding a little too excited.

He raised one of his perfect eyebrows and gave me a strange look. He probaby thinks I'm so weird.

"Oh, I mean… It's just no one here knows your name yet, and I guess it's cool that I'm the first one" Far out I'm so stupid, I'm making things worse I thought to myself.

Edward took his eyes off me for a moment and glanced around the large room, before returning his penetrating stare.

"Why are you talking to me?" He asked, genuinely wanting to know the answer.

My cheeks started to burn and I let my dark hair fall over my face as I stumbled for words. "Um, well… I thought you might like to at least try talking to someone… Seeing as though you're brushing everyone off so far…"

He tilted his head and I noticed that he was narrowing his eyes in what seemed like annoyance.

"But, maybe you're happier not talking to anyone, and I understand that… You know I'm still quite new here myself. Been here about four months now -"

"Look… Bella, was it?" He asked, interrupting my rambling nonsense.

I nodded and suddenly felt really embarrassed for mouthing off a million miles per hour.

"If you're going to stay and chat can you at least come inside? I don't want the whole school to hear your voice echoing through the corridors"

My whole body suddenly tensed up and I kind of froze on the spot. I wasn't expecting that, I thought he was going to tell me to get lost.

"Sorry" I whispered as I managed to get my legs to work and walk into the room. I partially closed the door behind me and turned around to see that Edward was back to facing the piano. He started playing that lovely tune again as I slowly made my way over to one side of the piano.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" I asked, watching as his pale fingers elegantly glided along the keys.

"I don't know" He shrugged. "Suppose it just comes naturally"

My eyes focussed now onto his face. He was clean shaven with a lovely sculptured jaw line, and his lips looked so smooth and soft… Bella, come on. Snap out of it! I mentally shook my head and tried to lean casually against the side of the piano. Edward kept his eyes focused on the keys in front of him and continued to play.

"So, um… Why do you choose to ignore everyone here?" I asked, immediately regretting my words. I heard him sigh and noticed how he shifted uncomfortably on his seat.

"You wouldn't understand…" He instantly stopped playing and got up, scrapping the wooden chair on the floor. "Just, do yourself a favour and leave me alone!"

And with that, he grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the room leaving me standing there all alone and feeling like a complete idiot.


	2. Chapter 2

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I had to find him… I had to find Edward Cullen.

Not that I _want_ to see him again or anything, but you see, after he left the room I noticed that he had left his music folder behind. So at the end of the day, I rushed down to the car park and stood in front his silver Volvo. Everyone stared at me and some even gave me dirty looks as they walked passed by. They were probably thinking that I was waiting to try and hook up with him or something. Yeah right! Not after the way he spoke to me earlier on. A few rain drops suddenly landed on my head and I looked up to see dark grey storm clouds were forming above. I quickly stuffed the music folder into my bag to keep it dry and pulled out my umbrella. In Forks, you shouldn't go anywhere without one!

As the minutes rolled by, there was still no sign of Edward and I was beginning to think that maybe I should just hand it into the main office and they could return it to him instead. Apart from my truck, his vehicle was now the only car left in the car park. But suddenly my thoughts were quickly interrupted as I heard someone's footsteps approaching.

"What didn't you understand about the leaving me alone part?" I heard Edward mumble as he walked right past me, clearly annoyed.

I scoffed and looked over at him from underneath my umbrella. "Look, I _really_ don't see why you have to be so rude…"

Edward was about to get in the car when he turned around and interrupted me "Can you get out of the way? I'd like to go home" And then he got into the car and shut the door behind him.

I stood there in utter shock with my mouth open as the rain began to fall even harder against my umbrella.

"_Fine_!" I shouted through the sound of the heavy rain. "I'll just leave your stupid music folder right here in this puddle behind your tyre shall I? You can damn well run over it for all I care!" As I rummaged through my bag, I heard him bolt out of the car and rush over to me.

"_Wait, wait, wait! No, please don't_!" His voice sounded full of panic. He outstretched his arms, pleading for me to give it to him.

I rolled my eyes and shoved the folder into his chest. "Don't know why I even bothered"

Without wasting another second, I turned around and started to walk off. I didn't get very far until a loud clap of thunder filled the air, followed by a down pour of large hail stones. I screamed and tried to make a run for it, but I looked forward and saw that my truck was right down the very end of the car park. My umbrella was now pretty much useless as I could feel the cold water seeping through my clothes. Before I knew it, Edward suddenly swerved his car in front of me and opened the passenger door.

"Get in!" He yelled.

Without thinking, I immediately ran over and jumped inside, pulling my umbrella down and onto my lap. He quickly drove over to the bottom of the main entrance stairs where there was a partial undercover area.

"Wow, I've never seen it hail so heavy like this before" I breathed, staring out at a blur of whiteness.

"I have…" Edward said, turning on the car's heater in attempt to dry our soaking wet clothes. "Over in Alaska, they can get as big as baseballs"

"Are you _serious_?" I asked, watching as he pushed some of his wet hair off his forehead.

He simply turned his head and nodded before quickly running his eyes over me. I bit my lower lip as I suddenly felt a little self conscious of the situation.

"I've got a spare coat back there" He said, pointing to the back seat.

I blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow in question. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your jacket is drenched" He simply stated.

My heart began to pound against my chest as he turned in his seat and reached back to get me the spare coat. I couldn't help but noticed how close his chest was as he arched his body between the two front seats.

"Here, put it on"

I stared blankly down at the black coat before glancing over in his direction. The grey coat that he was currently wearing was completely soaked through.

"I can't… You have it; you need it more than I do"

Edward declined and pushed the coat back into my hands insisting that I have it. As he switched the radio on low and flicked through the stations, I took my wet jacket off and placed it along with my bag and umbrella on the floor by my feet. Settling back in the seat, I gratefully wrapped his warm coat around my body. Edward finally decided on a radio station and we both sat there listening to the music as we stared out at the falling hail stones.

"Listen, um… Thanks for returning my folder. And, um not throwing it into the puddle" He spoke slowly and quietly.

"Yeah, well you're lucky I didn't… I was pretty mad at you" I replied as I kept my gaze focussed on the front window.

He turned his attention on to me then. I could feel his eyes staring at me, but I fought the urge to look at him.

"I'm sorry… Bella"

I shifted in my seat and turn to face him, ready to give him an earful about what I really thought… But then I noticed the expression on his face, the hurt in his eyes. He seemed genuinely sad… I couldn't help but stare into his eyes, and for a moment I think I got lost in them. It took a large amount of strength to tear away from his penetrating gaze, but I managed to break free and tried to focus on something else.

"It's alright. Just forget about it" I quickly muttered.

"I don't blame you for hating me…" He continued before saying the next line in an almost inaudible whisper. "… I hate myself"

My eyes flickered back over to him and watched as he leant forward against the steering wheel in frustration.

"Edward… I don't hate you" I whispered. "Are you alright?"

He immediately sat back in his seat and cleared his throat as he looked out his side window, avoiding my gaze. "Life can be so _cruel_ sometimes, can't it?"

I sat there in silence, waiting to see if he would continue. Eventually he sighed, picked up his folder and slowly ran his fingers over it.

"I thought I lost this. Music… My songs… They're my life. I have nothing else"

Without thinking, I reached out from underneath the coat and placed my hand on his upper arm.

"The one I heard you playing before was so beautiful…"

His gaze was once again focussed on me as he searched my face. He then looked down at the hand I had resting on his arm. I quickly took my hand away as if his arm was on fire and couldn't help but feel my cheeks blush. To make matters worse, I was embarrassed even more as my phone's ringtone rang out loud… '_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me_…'

"Hello?" I answered quickly before having time to check who was calling.

"Oh dad, hey… Yeah, don't worry I'm fine… No I'm not driving at the moment. I'm under shelter, waiting for it to calm down… Yep, in the school car park… Um, no I'm not alone. I'm with someone else… I'll be fine… Ok I'll see you when I get home… Bye"

I hung up and put the phone back in my bag. "That was Charlie, my dad. He's always so concerned about me. He's the chief of police you know…"

Edward remained silent as he rested his elbow against the window and rubbed his fingers across his forehead down to his temple.

After another 10 minutes or so, the hail had finally stopped and the rain eased into a light drizzle. Edward was nice enough to drive me over to my truck so I didn't have to walk.

"Um, thanks for everything… You know, letting me hide out in your car and all" I gave Edward a smile as I handed back his coat.

"No problem" He attempted to give me a small lopsided smile in return. "I'll see you tomorrow"

I was suddenly confused and gave him a strange look. "Tomorrow?"

"At school…" He elaborated slowly.

"Oh, right! School, yeah…" I felt my cheeks heating up again and Edward raised one of his eyebrows in what seemed like amusement on my behalf.

"Unless you had other ideas…" The smirk on his face seemed to grow wider.

I closed my eyes for a moment and mentally shook my head. "For some reason I thought it was Saturday tomorrow, that's all. But nope, got one more day to go…" I quickly gathered my things and stepped out of the car.

We said good bye and I hurried over into my truck, watching him speed out of the school grounds.

Later that night I couldn't help but think about our conversation as I lie awake in bed. Maybe Edward wasn't as rude as I first thought. He seems to be keeping something to himself, and it's clearly causing him pain and unhappiness. For some reason I feel like I should try to get closer to him, and find out what it is that's troubling him. I'm certain there's a loving and caring Edward in there somewhere, I just need to bring it out…

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**So what do you all think so far? I've got plenty of ideas, so i'll try to update as best I can. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

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The following day seemed to drag on forever. Was it the fact that it was simply Friday and I was dying for the weekend to come? Or was it the fact that I hadn't seen Edward all day and I knew that he was in my last class…

"… Bella?" A voice interrupted me from my thoughts.

I looked up to see Mike peering over at me. "Were you even listening to me?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm so sorry… I was just thinking about something" I replied, taking my books out of my bag and placing them in front of me on the desk.

"Or some_one_…" Jessica said from in front of me as she leant back on her chair.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Yeah? And who might that be?"

Jessica flicked her eyes from me to Mike, and then back to me. "Well, I couldn't help but overhear a group of girls bitching about you in the corridor a moment ago…"

"What were they saying?" Angela curiously asked as she also leant back in her chair.

"That she was seen hanging around Cullen's car yesterday afternoon… So is this _true_ Bella?"

All sets of eyes were suddenly on me, demanding an answer, and I felt my heart beat quickly increase.

"Well, yes but -"

"You're joking! What on _earth_ were you doing near a freak like him?" Mike interrupted forcefully, glaring at me.

"Edward left something behind… I was simply returning it to him"

"_Edward_?" Angela, Jessica and Mike all spoke at once.

"You know his name! Oh my god, what happened out there?" Jessica squealed.

"Nothing -" I protested, feeling my cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

All of a sudden Edward entered through the doorway and scanned the room. His eyes roamed until they reached the empty desk behind me and then he lowered his gaze to find Angela, Jessica, Mike and I all staring at him. Instantly, he dropped his gaze and slowly headed down the aisle. I stared down at my maths book in attempt to avoid looking at him, but it failed. I raised my head in time to see him stare at me as he walked passed to get to his desk. I swallowed a dry lump in my throat and suddenly wished that I could simply disappear. Thankfully our maths teacher arrived shortly after that and demanded silence. But unfortunately he then announced that we had a twenty question maths quiz to complete. Everyone groaned as he handed out the papers, and he said we had 30 minutes to complete it.

Once the time was up, we were then instructed to swap our papers with someone else in the room and he would read out the answers for us to mark. Everyone stood up and started to wander around to find someone to swap with, but before I got the chance to get up I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I spun my head around to find Edward staring at me.

"Hi…" I said with a rather stupid smile on my face.

"Hey, wanna swap?" He asked, offering me his quiz paper.

I glanced down at his masculine hand, before averting my eyes to the paper he was holding.

"Sure" I smiled, taking hold of it and giving him my paper in return.

When I looked back up at his face, my stomach flipped as he gave me that lovely small smile and whispered good luck to me. I turned back in my seat just in time as Mike had returned.

"So who did you swap with?" He asked me, before glancing down at the name which was at the top of the paper.

I felt his eyes bore into me, and then he turned around to most likely send Edward a death stare. Thankfully, before any words were exchanged, the teacher began reading out the answers. Surprisingly for every answer that was called out, Edward got correct. Mike noticed this out the corner of his eye and sighed in frustration… Or what I believed to be jealously. In the end, Edward had gotten only one wrong! I wrote 19/20 in red pen up the top of the page and couldn't help but draw a smiley face next to it. When everyone was told to swap their papers back, I waited for Mike to get up before I turned around.

"Congratulations, you only got one wrong!" I said, placing his paper on the table in front of him.

"Well you got every single one of them right!" He replied, shaking his head in disbelief.

I stared at him wide eyed before yanking the paper out of his hand. "You can't be serious!" I shrieked a little too loudly. Sure enough it was true! 20/20! Then I noticed what he wrote after the score… 'Perfect'.

"What did you get, Bella?" Mike interrupted, causing me to turn around in my seat.

"I got them all right!" I smiled happily.

"Oh, wow! Better than me…" He sighed, showing me his 16/20.

I couldn't help but hear a snickering sound coming from behind me, and so did Mike. Before he had the chance to turn around, I placed my hand on his arm and told him not to worry, and wished him better luck next time. There wasn't much time to go before the bell would ring, and being a Friday afternoon, the teacher let us chat for the remainder of the lesson.

"What are you wearing this afternoon for our dance session Bella?" Jessica asked, turning her chair around to face me. "You haven't forgotten have you?"

"No. Um, I just brought something comfortable"

"So, what time does this dance class thing go til anyway?" Mike asked.

"5.30pm. Why? Do you have something in mind for afterwards?" Angela asked as she adjusted her glasses.

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "Well since its Friday and all, how about we all go out for dinner tonight"

Everyone quickly agreed and then turned to look at me for an answer.

"Um, yeah I suppose so…" I said, seeing as thought everyone else was going.

"Great, I'll go tell Eric and Tyler as well" Jessica said enthusiastically.

"What are you going to do while were off dancing?" Angela asked Mike.

"Oh, I've got an assignment to finished, so I'll work on it in the library" He said, just as the end of school bell rang.

The girls and I quickly headed off to the bathrooms to get changed into our 'dance clothes'. I didn't have anything fancy, just a pair of black ¾ tights and a long sleeved light blue top.

* * *

"Ok, class settle down!" Ms Waters called out, bringing the hall into complete silence.

I was surprised to see that quite a few people had signed up to do this. There were about twenty people or so, and it seemed to be an equal amount of guys and girls.

"Now first of all, I'd like each of you guys to pair up with a lady. So go on, sort it out amongst yourselves" Ms Waters said.

I watched as everyone rushed to get a decent looking partner. Angela was paired with Eric, and Jessica partnered up with Tyler.

"I didn't know we'd have to have partners" I whispered strongly to Angela.

"Miss Swan! Is there a problem?" Ms Waters called out to me.

I slowly turned around and noticed that everyone had there eyes on me.

"Um… There's no one left -"

All of a sudden the door burst open and in walked a tall male figure. I couldn't see who it was at first, until he spoke and then that familiar voice filled the room.

"Sorry. I hope I'm not too late"

Ms Waters invited him in and smiled. "No, you're just in time! Bella was in need of a partner"

I stood there dumfounded with my mouth open.

"Alright, everyone…" I could hear the sound of Ms Waters speaking, but I drowned it out as Edward approached me with a slight grin.

"So, you're in need a partner eh?" He asked, dumping his bag on the ground.

"What are you doing here?" I asked softly, looking up into his shining green eyes.

He seemed to look at me as if I was stupid or something. "I've come to dance"

I looked up at him sceptically as I pushed some strands of hair away from my face. "You can dance and play the piano? That's impressive…"

Edward shrugged his shoulders and took a step closer to me. He then glanced around the room at the other couples who were listening to the teacher talking something about the foxtrot.

"I'm sorry…" I said quietly as I went to tie my long hair up into a ponytail.

"For what?" He asked, curiously looking down at me.

"That you're paired up with me… I can't dance"

"I'm sure you're just being modest"

"No! Not me, I'm seriously terrible on my feet!" I laughed, watching as he took a few more steps closer so that he was now right by my side.

"Take my hand…" He said casually, outstretching his right hand to me.

I narrowed my eyes at him and glanced down at his hand cautiously. "I don't think we're supposed to me touching -"

"Miss Swan!" I heard the teacher's voice coming from right behind me. "Are you going to get into first position with Mr Cullen or are you just going to stand and chat for the remainder of the lesson?"

"I, um… Sorry? Get into w_hat_ position?" I stuttered, clearly not hearing her correctly.

I heard Edward stifle his laughter, and I instantly blushed from embarrassment.

"Bella, I hope you're here to take this class seriously. Otherwise you can walk right out that door" Ms Waters said with her hands placed on her hips in annoyance.

"Sorry. I'll pay attention from now on" I said looking around at how all the other couples were positioned.

"Alright. Now stand in front of each other, slightly offset to the left…" She instructed.

I awkwardly stepped up close to Edward, watching as his small smile started to grow wider.

"Bella, with your right hand, take hold of his left and hold it up approximately in line with your eye level" She continued.

Edward reached out and gently took hold of my hand, guiding it up to the appropriate level.

"Ok. Now Edward, place your other hand around her back and rest it on her shoulder blade and Bella, place your arm easily onto his right"

We fumbled a little as our arms entwined to get to the correct position. Once we got it right Ms Waters finally left us alone and directed her next comment to the entire class. "This is the resulting dance "frame" and should be held sturdy, but relaxed and absent of tension or strain.

"You seem a little tense Bella…" Edward whispered, and I looked down and away from his gaze. "You're hand is a little sweaty as well. Try to relax"

I quickly pulled my hand out from his and wiped it against my shirt. "Sorry, this is just a little… Ah, weird isn't it?"

Edward cleared his throat before reaching out for my hand again. "Yeah, um… Maybe you should try moving in a little more… There's too much distance"

"I disagree" I muttered, hoping that I hadn't said it loud enough for him to actually hear.

I glanced over my shoulder to see how everyone else was standing, and sure enough they were closer to each other then we were. Suddenly I felt a little warmer, and then I noticed that Edward had already closed the distance between us.

"Oooh, go Bella!" I heard Eric call out teasingly from behind us.

When I turned to poke my tongue out at him, he simply winked in return. Angela kicked his shin, causing him to re-focus. The sound of soft music suddenly filled the air and Ms Waters stepped to the front of the room to show us how to do some basic steps.

"Oh my god! Hold on - back, left… What?" I breathed, watching in horror.

Edward started to lightly chuckle at my facial expression and I turned to glare at him.

"Don't laugh! It's your feet I'm going to be stepping on!"

"Try not to worry about that, just watch" He said, motioning to the teacher.

Once she had gone over the 'simple' routine a few times, she then started the music from the beginning, letting us give it a go.

"So, you think you can handle that?" Edward asked, raising one or his eyebrows up at me.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, not wanting to let him think I was incompetent or something after all the times the teacher had repeated the routine. "Piece of cake"

The music started and Ms Waters counted us in. _Far out_! I couldn't believe that my very first step was a mistake. Instead of stepping backwards, I stepped forwards which resulted in both of our legs bumping together.

"Oops, my bad" I said, tyring to correct my footing.

"It's ok, just relax and follow my lead" He whispered softly.

After what seemed like a lifetime of being _that _close to Edward Cullen, I sighed heavily as we were told that would be it for today's lesson.

"It might be a good idea to see if you can get together some time before next week and practice what you've learnt today" Ms Waters called out to the class.

Edward and I exchanged glances, before I quickly looked away and picked up my bag.

"I, ah… Hope I wasn't _that_ bad for my first go" I gave an awkward laugh.

"No. I think you'll be fine after a bit more practice" He replied, as he held his bag over one of his shoulders.

I glanced around the room, noticing that everyone was giggling and rambling on to each other about how great or bad they thought they did.

"Bella, are you coming back next week?" Edward asked, seeming to ignore all the chatter around us.

"Um, maybe. But that depends…" I said looking up at his dishevelled brown hair.

"On what exactly?" He asked as he raised both of his eyebrows and searched my face for an answer.

I fiddled with the strap on my bag for a moment before saying. "If you're going to be my partner or not"

Edward looked completely stunned to say the least. He coughed twice before awkwardly running a hand through his thick hair. "Partner? You meant _dance_ partner right?"

"Um, yes…" I said slowly, before realising that he must have initially thought I meant partner as in boyfriend. "Oh geez! Yes, dance partner Edward. Nothing more…"

"Yeah, definitely! I mean, the way Mike sent me that death glare earlier on…"

"What? Oh don't worry about Mike, he's just jealous or something" I said as a matter of fact.

"Jealous?" Edward couldn't seem to contain his curiosity as he smirked down at me.

"Of um… I don't know. You…" I said as I could feel myself blush once again.

Suddenly he took a few steps closer to me and lowered his voice so no one else could overhear.

"So, if we were to hang out sometime and practice the dance routine… That would make him rather mad wouldn't it" He said staring back at me, waiting for my reaction.

"Um, possibly…" I whispered, staring unconsciously at his perfect lips.

Suddenly our conversation was interrupted as Jessica, Angela, Eric and Tyler came up beside me.

"Sorry to intrude, but you're still coming out with us to dinner right?" Jessica asked, looking directly at me.

I moved my eyes from Edward to everyone else, and then back to Edward for some reason. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave the room. I mentally shook my head and turned back to the rest of my friends.

"Yeah, sure. Let's go!"

* * *

**Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Cheers!**


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

"So he's your _dance_ partner now?" Mike asked, staring at me from across the table at the local pizza place.

"I didn't really have a choice… There was no one else" I answered, shrugging my shoulders as I took a bite out of my slice of pizza. "And besides, he seems to know what he's doing… I might even learn a few moves after all"

Eric started laughing histerically. "Yeah girl, he wants to show you some moves alright!"

"Eric, _shut up_!" Angela said while punching him in the arm. "Anyway, I thought they looked cute together"

"Yeah, he seemed interested in you" Jessica added, sipping on her lemonade. I couldn't help but notice that she souded a little jealous.

I sighed and pushed my plate into the middle of the table. "Look guys, it's getting a little late. I better be heading home" And with that, I stood up as they said goodbye to me.

"I'll walk you out" Mike called, running to catch up to me. "Bella -"

"Mike, please… I don't want to talk about it" I said as I stepped outside and the cold air instantly sent shivers through my body.

"I reckon he's stalking you" Mike said, with concern in his voice.

"_What_?" I asked incredulously and turned to face him. "Just because he decided to take the same dance class as me, it makes him a _stalker_ does it?"

"Possibly. Look Bella, you don't even know the guy. I think he's a creepy, weird jerk… And have you seen the way he looks at you?"

I huffed and turned away from Mike and walked over to my truck. If anyone's stalking me, it's you! I thought to myself as I searched my bag for the keys.

All of a sudden, Mike blurted out from behind me. "Bella, why won't you go out with me?"

I froze on the spot as I desperately tried to think of something to say. "Mike, I -"

He quickly spun me around to face him and pressed his index finger against my lips.

"Incase you haven't realised by now… I – I really like you. I've had feelings for you since you first arrived in Forks about four months ago and it would hurt me to see you with another… Especially _him_"

I stared up at him with my eyes wide open in complete shock. He slowly moved his finger away from my lips and caressed my cheek.

"Mike you're a friend, and that's all" I said, trying to sound convincing.

As I went to push his hand away from my cheek, he reached up and seized my hand.

"What are you _doing_?" I shrieked, as he moved his face closer to my own.

"You're so beautiful… Please, please won't you give us a chance?"

"_Us_?" I gulped, staring wide eyed at his lips. "I – I don't think -"

Just then a pair of bright headlights shone directly on us and Mike instantly let me go and jumped backwards.

"Bella, is everything alright here?" Someone called out from inside the vehicle.

I instantly recognised the voice and walked over to the car, silently being thankful for the interruption. "Yeah I'm fine dad. I was just on my way home now"

"Right" He said, glancing over at Mike before looking out the window at me.

"Its ok dad, I was just saying goodbye to him"

He looked up at me somewhat unconvinced, but believed me anyway. "Well I'll see you when you get home then"

"Sure" I replied, giving him a quick wave as he slowly reversed and drove off.

I took a deep breath and turned around to face Mike who was looking extremely embarrassed. He smiled awkwardly and looked down at his feet before making eye contact with me again.

"I err, better get going" I said quietly as I fiddled with the keys.

"Fine" He mumbled as he turned around and headed back inside the pizza place.

I quickly got into my truck, closed the door behind me and sat there for a moment. What on earth just happened there? Why can't he understand that I just want us to be friends... He's lucky he's got that! I thought to myself as I pushed my hair out of my face and started the engine.

* * *

Later that night I was lying on my bed listening to my iPod, when the home phone started to ring. I ignored it for the first few rings, expecting my dad to pick it up but when I took my headphones out of my ears, I noticed that the shower was running. Rushing down into the kitchen, I grabbed the phone and breathed heavily into it.

"Hello?"

"Hey" Someone said before chuckling quietly. "Had to run to the phone eh?"

I remained silent for a moment, as it slowly started to dawn on me who was on the other end of the line. "Edward? Is that you?"

"I see you've memorised my voice" He said, sounding rather seductive.

Swallowing a dry lump in my throat, I quickly tried to change the subject. "Lucky guess I suppose. Um, listen… How did you get my number?"

"Phonebook"

"Oh yeah, I told you my dad's name back when I was in your car. Ok… So, what's up?"

"Nothing much. I ah, just wanted to talk"

"With me?" I asked, feeling my stomach suddenly tie up into knots.

"Well, yeah. If you want to that is"

"Yes!" I said a little too quickly. "I mean, yeah that's fine. I'm not busy"

"Excellent. So, how was dinner with your friends?"

I didn't mean to sigh that heavily, but I guess he heard me through the line as he chuckled a little.

"That good huh?"

"Hmm, they can be a little annoying sometimes… I wish they'd just mind there own business"

"This doesn't have anything to do with me, does it?" He asked, with a little concern in his voice.

"Oh, um…" I hesitated for a moment, thinking whether or not to tell him. I finally managed to work up the courage. "Maybe... Yeah. It's just the fact that you're my dance partner -"

"Ah. Is this upsetting Mike is it?" I could sense the humour in his voice and I could just imagine that little smirk upon his face.

I managed to let a small laugh out myself. "You could say that"

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but what do you see in the guy?" He asked.

I started laughing hard, I couldn't help it. "Oh god, _no_! You think that we're together?" I laughed, taking a large gasp of air. "No don't worry, it's not like that. I have no interest in him what so ever!"

Edward was silent for a moment while I continued to laugh a bit more as I wiped a stray tear that was rolling down my cheek.

"It's like a one sided thing – he likes me, and even though I try to tell him were just friends… He can't seem to accept it"

"That makes things awkward" Edward spoke in a low voice.

"Well, sometimes it does… But when all my other friends are around, he's ok"

"I think you should tell him to piss off" He said rather bluntly.

"I beg your pardon, tell him _what_?"

"Tell him to piss off and leave you alone. This guy is obviously a jerk"

"Funny. He says the same thing about you" I muttered.

"Does he now? And what do you think?"

I hesitated for a moment as I nervously bit on my lower lip "I err - I think you're… Nice"

"Just nice?" He asked teasingly, and I sensed he was smirking once again.

"Um, well I don't really know you Edward..."

"Yeah, about that... I was hoping we could change the situation" He replied sounding rather confident.

"What? What do you mean by that?" I asked, even though I knew exactly what he meant.

"How about tomorrow we go down to the ice skating rink"

"_Ice skating_?" I whined. "Ah, I can't… I'm a hopeless skater"

Edward chuckled for a bit before sighing. "First you say you can't dance, and now you say you can't skate?"

"That's because it's _true_!" I laughed.

"Well then, that'll make it all the more fun won't it. So I'll pick you up around 10.30am?"

"You know, I never said that I actually agree to this…" I laughed again, but this time it was a little more awkward.

"10.30am it is then!" He said, sounding rather pleased with himself.

I sighed in defeat and pretended to sound like it was a hassle. "Alright, if you insist… I'll give you my address -"

"No need, already got it"

When I was silent for a moment, he added.

"Phonebook"

"Right" I said, mentally slapping my forehead.

"Ok, so I'll see you tomorrow"

"Sure. See you then"

"Goodnight, Bella"

"Goodnight" I said before quickly hanging up the phone.

Oh my goodness... I have a _date_ with Edward Cullen! I flopped back onto my bed, popped my headphones back into my ears and pumped the volume up. If anyone saw me right now, I must've looked absolutely stupid with this massive goofy grin on my face.

* * *

**Thank you very much to everyone who has given me reviews, I really appreciate it! :)**

**To crystal heart 12****: I've put 'Torn Between Two Kings' on hold for a bit while I focus on my twilight story. Thanks for your kind words though, your encouragement is awesome and I'll definitely continue the story when I get the chance.**


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

I glanced over at the clock on my bedroom wall – 10.05am.

I was almost ready, just needed to pick out a suitable outfit and fix my hair up. Seeing as though I was going to be in a cold environment, I decided on a pair of black skinny jeans and a white turtleneck sweater covered with a denim jacket. My hair looked surprisingly good the way it was, but I ran my hairbrush through it, causing the ends to go wavy. Just as I walked over to close my window, I saw Edward pulling up at the end of the driveway. He looked up and noticed me watching him so I waved back, motioning that I'll be down in a minute. I slipped on a comfortable pair of sneakers, grabbed my handbag and ran down the stairs.

"I'm going out with a friend, I'll be home later dad" I called out to him as I passed by the kitchen.

"Ok, Bella. Have fun dear" He replied without lifting his head from the newspaper he was reading.

I got to the front door and opened it, noticing that Edward was casually leaning against the side of his Volvo.

"You're early" I stated, walking down the driveway towards him.

"Better than being late. So, are you ready for this?" He asked, watching me as I made my way around his car to the passenger's side.

I stopped just before getting into the car and looked over at him. The sun shone down from behind him, making him look almost angelic.

"Ah, not really. I'm a little nervous to tell you the truth"

"Don't be" He assured me, giving me a lovely genuine smile.

As we got into the car and fastened our seatbelts, I turned to look at him. "I like it when you smile" I admitted, watching as he turned his head and smiled at me once more.

"I'll try to do it more often then"

"Good. You know, you're a lot more happier than when I first met you the other day"

He was silent for a moment as he started up the engine and focussed on reversing out of the driveway.

"Maybe it's because I've got a lot more to be happier about these days"

I thought about asking what it was that had him so serious and moody, but on second thought, I decided to keep my mouth shut and not ruin the moment.

"So why ice skating? Do you get a kick out of seeing me embarrass myself or something?"

"No" He said simply, keeping his eyes on the road. "I thought it would be a great way to practice some dance skills"

"Huh? How is ice skating going to help with that?"

"Well for one thing, composure and balance definitely plays a key role…"

"Ok and what else?" I asked, not realising I was about to regret asking.

"There's also the um, body contact issue"

I squirmed in my seat a little and gently bit my lower lip. Body contact? He seemed to notice my discomfort and then continued to elaborate to make it sound better.

"You know, if we're going to be holding each other and dancing close… Then it's a good idea to get used to it. Don't you think?" He finished by glancing briefly in my direction.

"Um, yeah… I suppose"

The rest of the trip was slightly awkward after that, and little was said until we got inside the ice skating place.

"I think I've changed my mind about this…" I said worryingly as I looked at all the advance skaters out there on the ice.

"Oh no you don't, you're not getting out of this. Now put those skates on" He said rather seriously, pointing to the skates beside my feet.

"But I'm going to make a fool of myself… Look at how good those little kids are!" I said as I pointed to a group of young children who looked like they were right at home on the ice.

"Bella, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Listen, how about I go out there and show you how its done, and then I'll come back and help you ok?"

"Fine" I mumbled as I got out of my seat and stepped over to the side of the rink.

Edward confidently made his way onto the ice and took off, gliding perfectly around in a large circle. His arms moved in sync with his legs and he never faltered or stumbled, not once. After a few minutes of showing off his abilities, he skated over and stopped at the wall in front of me. He casually leant over it and grinned up at me.

"See? It's that easy!"

"Yeah, but you're like perfect at it" I muttered, pulling the sleeves on my sweater down over my hands to warm them up.

"Come on, it's not that bad when you get out there" He reassured me, but I still felt nervous.

Awkwardly, I stepped over to the gate and placed one foot onto the ice. The blade easily slid across the cold, icy surface as I moved it back and forth.

"Bella, try not to think about it. Just do it"

I moaned in a rather un-lady like way and attempted to maneuver myself onto the ice so I was gripping onto the side wall for stability. The moment I turned around sideways, my hands slipped off the wall and I fell over backwards, straight onto my butt. Edward started laughing as he made his way over to help me up.

"Don't laugh at me, this is really slippery" I said, narrowing my eyes at him as he easily picked me up off the ice. I instantly clung back onto the wall for balance.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh" He said, clearing his throat. "Now try positioning your skates like this, let go of the wall and take hold of my hands when you're ready"

"What? No, I can't do that"

"Yes you can. I'm going to hold you" Edward held out his hands for me to grab.

"I'm only going to drag you down with me" I said, ignoring the weird glares I was getting from other skaters.

"No, you're not. You'll be fine, I promise"

I stubbornly looked at his face and shook my head. "I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that"

"Well you're going to have to" And before I knew it, Edward had taken hold of my waist and pulled me off the wall.

"_Edward_!" I shrieked, looking at the stretch of open ice before me. "Far out! Not so _fast_!"

I heard him chuckle again, but thankfully he listened to me and slowed down to a decent pace… Ok, snail pace. He then let go of my waist and grabbed my arms, moving so that he was now facing me and skating backwards.

"Show off!" I said to him without taking my eyes off the ground below.

Everything was going fine for a while until some idiot suddenly decided to skate past us really fast, and bumped into me. I stumbled forward, and Edward was caught off guard. He lost his balance as well and stumbled backwards, pulling me down on top of him.

"Bella, are you alright?" He asked while raising his head to try and see who it was that bumped me.

My eyes which were still tightly closed, slowly opened to find a very concerned Edward looking at me.

"Yep, I survived. Thanks for breaking my fall" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"No problem" He smiled up at me, before managing to get us both back on out feet.

"Can you take me in, I want to have a break" I told Edward, who nodded and proceeded to help me over to the edge.

"Are you sure you're ok?" He asked again, quickly glancing over my body.

"Yes Edward. Go and have some fun, I just want to rest for a moment"

He waited until I was successfully off the ice before he skated off around the rink. The moment I made my way over to the seats, and grabbed a bottle of water from my bag, someone shuffled over beside me.

"Hey, I saw you out there. Are you ok?"

I turned my head to find a rather attractive young man staring back at me, waiting for an answer. He had long jet black hair and a lovely warm smile. Not as nice as Edward's though I thought to myself.

"Yeah, I'm fine"

"My names Jacob Black" He said as he extended his hand for me to shake

I hesitated a little before being polite and reached out to shake it. "Bella Swan"

"First time out there, huh Bella?"

"Is it really that obvious?" I said, and we both laughed.

"Would you get mad if I told you, yes?"

I sighed and took another sip of water from my bottle. "No, I can't blame you. After all, I do suck"

"No, you're not all that bad. You just need a better teacher"

I followed to where he turned his gaze which was directly on Edward, who just happened to look over at as at that second. If looks could kill… I'm not sure if Jacob would be alive right now. But Jacob seemed to ignore the death stare and focus his gaze back onto me.

"You're boyfriend shouldn't have been so bold, seeing as thought it was only your first time out there…" He had the hide to add.

"Um, he's not actually my boyfriend" I informed him, watching as a huge grin appeared on his face.

"Is that so? Well then, I suppose he wouldn't mind if I asked you to skate with me?"

I hadn't even noticed that Edward had made his way off the ice and was now making his way towards us. It wasn't until I heard his voice…

"Actually, I _would _mind!" And let me tell you, his voice sounded deep and full of venom.

"Oh, forgive me. I was just talking to Bella here -"

"Now that you're done, I suggest you get away from her before this blade of mine accidently comes into contact with some part of your body" Edward spoke sternly before slamming his left skate on the ground between Jacob's feet.

Jacob immediately raised his hands up in defence and smiled at me before getting up to leave. "See ya, Bella. Nice to meet you"

I simply nodded in return, and I heard Edward growl from deep within his throat. I rolled my eyes and looked up at him as he made sure Jacob was out of sight before turning his attention to the empty seat beside me, purposely avoiding my gaze.

"That really wasn't necessary" I said before placing my water bottle back inside my bag.

"I leave you alone for one minute and some jerk hits on you!"

"You think everyone is a jerk!" I retorted feeling a little peeved.

"When they look at you with hungry eyes, they are!"

I scoffed and looked up at him in disbelief. "And what makes you any different from the rest of them? Edward, I am _not_ your girlfriend… I can talk to whoever I want!"

His expression suddenly changed from being pissed off, to looking sightly embarrassed and taken aback.

"I'm aware of that, it's just -"

"Then stop acting like you own me or something" I quickly cut him off and took off my skates. "Look, I've had enough can we just leave?"

"Sure" He said softly, watching as I walked away in a huff.

As I stormed way ahead of Edward, I noticed that Jacob was out in the parking lot putting a motorcycle helmet on. My eyes roamed over his expensive looking bike, studying it curiously.

"See something you like?" Jacob called out, lifting his visor up to look at me.

I wandered over to him, and stared at the bike in awe. "Wow, this must've cost a fortune"

"Nah, not really" He replied, running his hand along the leather seat. "My father owns a motorcycle shop over in La Push. Someone brought this in about a month ago, didn't want it becasue it was slightly damaged. But we fixed her up and now she's looking brand new" He said proudly, looking at me before focusing his attention on something over my shoulder.

"Bella, come on. Let's go" I suddenly heard Edward call out.

After sighing heavily, Jacob looked down at me and pondered for a brief moment.

"You know… If you're having problems with him, I could drop you home if you like"

My eyes shot up to meet his and I searched his face. I know better than to catch a ride with someone a barely just met, but he seemed so honest and innocent looking. I turned around to see Edward with a concerned expression.

"Bella!" He called out to me. "What are you doing?"

Without properly thinking things over, I turned back to Jacob and asked him "Do you have another helmet?"

Surprisingly, his smile grew wider and he lifted up the back compartment, pulling out an extra helmet. I quickly put it and Jacob fastened the strap.

"_Bella_!" Edward called once more, this time sounding extremely panicked. He ran over to where we were and demanded that I get off the bike immediately. "_Don't _do this! Please... I'm sorry" He pleaded, and for a moment I thought about actually getting off the bike. But I closed my eyes and turned my head the other way, clinging tightly onto Jacob.

"See ya!" Jacob teasingly said before revving the engine and tearing out of the parking lot, leaving a very stunned and angry Edward frozen on the spot.


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

After a while of cruising around the town, Jacob decided to pull over and buy us some fish and chips for lunch. We found a nice grassy spot in a nearby park where we chatted for a while about our interests and other general topics. Jacob seemed very easy going and sounded a lot like a free spirit, doing things on impulse. I couldn't help but notice that throughout our conversation his eyes kept flicking to something over my right shoulder. Occasionally I would look over to see what was so fascinating, but I had no idea... I even brought it to his attention at one point, but he palmed it off saying that he was simply checking on his bike.

About an hour or so had passed by and everything was going well, until Jacob spoke up after there was a moment of silence between us.

"Listen, Bella. My father owns a secluded lodge just out of town and I was kind of wondering… Well, would you like to go check it out?"

I looked up from the flower I was twirling in my fingers and stared into his glistening dark brown eyes. He stared back at me expectantly, hoping that I'd accept his offer.

"Oh. I, um… I - I don't know" I stuttered, struggling to find the right words.

"It's ok. I understand if you don't want to go…" He said. But despite his choice of words, I could tell that he was simply using reverse psychology to get me to say yes.

I gently bit my lower lip and then took a deep breath. "Look, you seem like a nice guy Jacob - don't get me wrong. Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll have to pass…"

"That's cool" He said, taking his eyes off me and glancing aimlessly around the park. "Maybe some other time eh?"

I suddenly became a little suspicious about him, watching as he roughly picked blades of grass out from the ground. His mood seemed to change the moment I declined and I tried to change the subject. My eyes flickered down to my watch and saw that it was about 4.15pm.

"Well, thanks for taking me for a ride on your motorcycle and for having lunch with me. I've had a lovely time" I smiled as he looked over at me.

"Yeah, I've had a great time too… So I'll give you a ride home?"

"Please. If it's not too much trouble" I said, brushing a few leaves off my jeans.

"Not at all" He grinned over at me.

We walked silently back over to where his motorcycle was and I waited patiently while he grabbed the helmets from the back compartment. When all of a sudden Jacob started acting all weird and demanded that I hurry up and put the helmet on quickly.

"What's the matter?" I asked while looking around to see what could have agitated him.

"Nothing, I just want to get out of here. Hop on" He said, motioning to the space behind him on the bike.

I hesitated for a moment, before realising it was the only way I was going to get home and decided to climb on the back. As we drove away from the park, out the corner of my eye I noticed that a silver Volvo pulled out from one of the side streets and got onto the main road behind us. Before I got the chance to look behind, Jacob had driven through a set of freshly turned red traffic lights, leaving the Volvo behind us.

Don't be stupid I thought to myself, Edward's not the only one who owns a Volvo around here... I'm sure there are a number of people in Forks who own one. But for some strange reason, Jacob tensed up and increased our speed.

Before long, the trees and buildings along the side of the road were now just a blur to me. I wasn't sure what speed we were travelling at, but I was definitely certain that it was well and truly over the limit.

"Hey, I think you should slow down!" I called out, pulling on Jacob's leather jacket. My voice sounded muffled from inside the helmet.

"_Slow down_?" The tone he used suggested that he thought I was the crazy one. "Don't you like the adrenalin rush?"

"Not when we're well over the _speed limit_!" I yelled back.

"Chill, Bella. Just enjoy the ride"

I gulped and watched as we sped along the main road, heading towards the outskirts of Forks. Suddenly my stomach started to churn and I felt a little queasy like I was going to throw up.

"Jacob, where are you taking me? I live back there…" I said nervously as my voice sounded full of fear.

I waited for him to reply, but he seemed to ignore me and kept his eyes on the empty road ahead. We had now completely left Forks and were on a narrow two way road, surrounded by huge pine trees on either side.

"_Jacob_!" I screamed as loud as I could and thumped my fist against his back.

"Bella cut it out! Just sit there and _shut up_! Ok?" He demanded roughly before taking a corner way too fast.

I clung on tightly around his waist, digging my fingernails into his leather jacket for support as the bike slanted to the left. Luckily Jacob regained composure and quickly managed to straighten the bike back up.

"_Are you crazy_? You're going to get us _killed_!" I yelled out in a high pitched voice before breathing heavily.

"No. _He's_ gonna get us killed" Jacob replied, outstretching his arm and pointing to the road behind me.

"_What_?" I turned my head around as best I could and saw that a silver car was slowly gaining on us. My heart immediately started racing and I suddenly felt that everything was going to be alright after all. "Edward" I whispered, thankful that maybe he could somehow save me from this lunatic. Before I knew it, Edward had floored his car right up alongside us in the other direction's lane.

"Edward, _help me_!" I screamed out as loud as I could, and it was at that moment that I realised I had tears streaming down my face.

"Stop this bloody bike right _now_!" Edward wound down his window and called out in a seriously menacing voice.

Jacob simply laughed and flipped him off, before swerving off the road and onto a narrow dirt track. I looked behind and saw that Edward had obviously not seen that coming and missed the turn off.

"He's going to come after me, you know…" I said, trying to hold back my tears. "_Please_, just let me go!"

"Come on Bella. Why would you want to go with him, when you can have the time of your life with me?"

But before I got the chance to say anything, Jacob suddenly slowed down and came to a complete stop within a matter of seconds. Without hesitation I jumped off the bike, threw the helmet aside and started running back along the dirt track. Unfortunately, Jacob was a fast runner and caught up to me in no time. He grabbed me roughly by the arm, causing me to cry out in pain while he spun me around to face him. I tried to kick him in the groin, but he had very quick reflexes and dodged my pitiful attempt.

"Now, now! That's not very nice" Jacob smirked down at me before grabbing hold of both my arms and twisting them behind my back.

"_Let me go_!" I pleaded, starting to feel very weak within his strong grip.

He ignored me and while still holding onto my arms, he pushed me off the dirt track and in amongst the pine trees. I sobbed as he forced me to walk deeper and deeper into the woods, threatening to hurt me if I stopped moving.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked nervously, staring at the ground while stepping cautiously over fallen rocks and tree roots.

"I want to show you the lodge" He replied after a moment of silence.

"_What_? Oh my god, what is wrong with you!" I said feeling absolutely disgusted. "How _could_ you! I thought you were a nice guy..."

"I'm not going to hurt you Bella. We're just going to have some… Fun" And with that, he released one of his hands to stoke the right side of my cheek down along to my neck.

My heart almost stopped as I felt it plummet into my stomach, making me feel extremely nauseous. But then I noticed that Jacob was only holding onto me with one hand, so I managed to gather all my strength and take advantage of the situation. I surprised him by kicking backwards as hard as I could against his shin. Thankfully he let me go as he cried out in pain and I took the chance to turn around and kick him again, but this time in the groin. He instantly doubled over in pain and slowly fell to the ground, swearing as he lay in agony.

I then ran as fast as I could, tracing my way back through the forest, without turning to look back over my shoulder. But all the pine trees looked identical, and I began to panic as I thought that I might never make it out. I could be running in circles for all I knew. Suddenly, I could hear a faint voice in the distance calling my name. Oh no, it was Jacob! I panicked even more as I began to run in the opposite direction. What happened next made me freeze in my tracks… It was a car horn! I stopped and realised that Edward was the one who was calling me, not Jacob. Frantically, I ran back the other way and called out Edwards name as loud as I could. Thankfully he heard me and by calling out, was able to help guide me back down to the dirt track.

"_Edward_!" I shrieked, when I was finally able to see him through the clearing.

Tears started to stream down my face again as I ran over and he embraced me in a huge hug.

"_Bella_! Thank heavens you're alright!" He breathed deeply into my hair, before pulling me back a little and examining me. "He didn't _hurt_ you in any way did he?"

I shook my head to motion 'no' as I instantly covered my eyes with my hands, feeling embarrassed to cry in front of him. Edward was glad to hear I was ok, but then he suddenly turned cold and turned his back on me.

"Good, now get in the car..." He mumbled, closing the door behind me once I had crawled in. "... Like you should've did back at the ice rink"


	7. Chapter 7

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Edward and I sat there in complete silence as we drove back along the road towards Forks. The sky was growing darker by the minute as the last of the sun's rays slowly sunk below the hilltops. I reached out and used the sleeve of my denim jacket to wipe my damp, tear stained face. Edward would take quick glances in my direction every now and then... Sometimes it looked like he was about to say something, but he never did. About five minutes had passed until I couldn't stand the silence any longer… I had to say something. So I took a deep breath and slowly turned my head in his direction.

"Um, thank you… For coming after me" I said quietly, trying my best to stop my voice from shaking.

He remained silent and kept his hands firmly clenched on the steering wheel. I scanned his facial features while his eyes were fixated on the road ahead. It was very difficult to read what he was thinking. Oh God, he must hate me...

"I – I'm sorry" I added, hoping to get a reaction from him. But he still remained silent. "I know you're mad at me Edward… But can you at least say _something_?"

"I don't feel like talking" He murmured while clenching his teeth together.

"Please…" I whispered softly as I started to feel a fresh set of tears building up.

All of a sudden Edward swerved the vehicle off to the side of the road and came to a complete stop.

"What the hell do you _want_ me to say?" Edward blurted out rather angrily as he turned to face me. "You left me standing in the bloody parking lot, looking like a complete idiot while you gallivanted off with some motorcycle riding, speed freak!"

I lowered my head in shame and uncomfortably shifted in the seat.

"What on _earth_ was going through your head?" He continued to yell at me. "You're so stupid Bella, don't you realise you could've been _killed_! Imagine all the pain it would cause your parents if -"

"_I said I was sorry, alright_!" I screamed out over his voice, causing him to immediately shut up. I took a few quicks breaths of air before calming my voice down "Look, I know what I did was incredibly stupid. If I could take back the choices I made earlier, trust me I would! I'm sorry that I left you there, I really am... I don't know why I did it, and I don't blame you if you never want to see me again…" My eyes began to fill up with tears until it overflowed and I couldn't take it anymore, so I let them stream down my cheeks.

Edward sat there in silence for a few minutes while I turned away from him and leant against the window. Apart from my sobbing, the only other sound that could be heard was the wind outside, blowing violently through the trees.

"Bella" He whispered ever so gently. "I didn't mean to upset you… But you have no idea how much pain you've caused me"

I wiped my eyes as best as I could and turned to face him with a confused look on my face. Edward suddenly punched the dashboard in frustration and then ran both hands through his tousled bronze hair.

"I can't _fight _this anymore!" He growled loudly.

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously as I watched him slump forward against the steering wheel. "What are you fighting?"

"I'm fighting to keep myself from falling apart…" He spoke slowly as he sat back against the seat and raised his hand up to rub his forehead. "When you went off and put your life in jeopardy like that, it made me realise…"

Edward trailed off for a moment and turned his head to look at me. I must have looked terrible - my hair was all frizzy and wind blown, my clothes were a little dirty and my eyes felt puffy from crying. But I guess he managed to overlook those things and he gave me a small smile.

"… I realised that I'm growing weaker because I'm falling for you, Bella"

My eyes shot wide open as the shock of his words sunk in. He quickly avoided my gaze by turning to look out of his window.

"You're falling for _me_?" I squeaked in an embarrassing high pitch tone.

I watched as he exhaled deeply, causing the glass to fog up from his warm breath.

"I've been recently struggling to get through some difficult issues, and it's been a complete nightmare. I have problems sleeping, eating and socializing - As you can see I've blocked everyone out… Well, everyone except you"

I reached out and touched his arm in a comforting way. "Edward, what's wrong? Has something happened to you?"

He instantly snapped out of his trance like state and turned to look me straight in the eyes. "I shouldn't be boring you with my sad sap stories… Look at you. You've been through a lot today. I'd better take you home before your father begins to worry about where you are. The last thing I want is the Chief of police breathing down my neck"

"No it's ok; he's working the late shift tonight. Please continue with what you were saying a minute ago"

"Bella" Edward breathed my name beautifully as he took hold of my hand, which was still placed on his arm. "Don't worry about it"

"But I _am _worrying… If you tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help"

He looked down at our entwined hands and gently rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. "You're already helping… I feel like I can live again when I'm around you. Just, promise me that you won't try any more crazy stunts like you did today, alright?"

I gave him a weak smile and looked directly into his eyes. "I promise"

He nodded before slowly letting go of my hands. "Do you have your phone on you?"

"Um, yeah… Why?"

"Pass it here" He said, holding out his hand.

I looked at him quizzically as I reached into my bag and searched for my phone. When I placed it into his palm, I watched as he started typing numbers into it.

"What are you doing?" I asked, but he ignored me until he was finished and passed the phone back to me. I looked down and noticed that he had added his number to my contacts list.

"Oh, I see… So now I can call you eh?" I said in a teasing voice.

He gave a soft chuckle and rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah. That's the idea"

I smiled brightly up at him. How I left Edward for Jacob, I'll never know… But what I did know was that I never wanted to leave him again!

The rest of the trip home was quite pleasant. I made it a point not to bring up what was bothering him unless he wanted to talk about it. It worried me to know that he was hiding something that was clearly hurting him… But how could I help if he won't tell me. So instead of talking about miserable topics, we laughed and told each other embarrassing childhood memories.

Before I knew it, we had eventually arrived outside my house. I released my seatbelt, just as my stomach decided to growl.

"Sounds like someone's hungry" Edward chuckled before admitting that he was starving for a good meal as well.

"Edward?" I drawled out, biting gently on my lower lip. "I was wondering, would you like to come inside? We can get some Chinese delivered! That is, if you like Chinese food of course…"

He looked a little stunned to say the least, but after a moment he gave me a lovely genuine smile.

"Yeah, Chinese sounds great but…" And then his smile dropped. "I really shouldn't stay, I'd better be going"

"Edward" I pouted and crossed my arms. "Come on, I don't want to eat all by myself. And besides, I owe you for what happened earlier today"

"What about your father? I don't think he'd appreciate me intruding" Edward said, glancing up at the house.

"I already told you, my father won't be home til later… And you're not intruding, I'm inviting you in!"

He smirked and raised one of his eyebrows. "Is that wise? Telling a guy that your father won't be home for ages"

"Probably not… But I trust you!" I said, before getting out of the car and running around to his side.

I opened the door and grabbed his arm, hoping that he'd get out. He looked up at me and then sighed as he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out.

"Alright, but if your father catches me and this ends in a mega disaster… You'll have to come bail me out, ok?"

I laughed and lightly punched him in the arm. "You're not going to get caught, I promise!"


	8. Chapter 8

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I nervously fumbled with the keys until I finally found the one I was looking for. When I unlocked the door and stepped inside, I expected Edward to follow me in. But when I turned around, he was still standing outside. He was staring at something… My _truck_? I coughed to get his attention and watched as he snapped his head around to look at me.

"So are you coming inside or what?" I asked, noticing a concerned look was upon his face.

Edward made his way over to where I was leaning against the front door and stopped right in front of me. I looked at how little space there was between us and then peered up into his eyes.

He stared down at me before saying. "Your front tyre is flat. You may want you father to take a look at it"

I swallowed a dry lump which had formed in my mouth and turned my head to the side to take a look for myself. Sure enough, the tyre was a little deflated.

"Oh, it is too... Thanks"

But when I turned my head back around to face him, he had already moved into the living room. As I quietly cleared my throat, I locked the front door and turned to find him idly gazing around the room. Suddenly his eyes stopped roaming when he noticed some family photos on the mantle piece and walked over to have a closer look.

"That's my dad, Charlie" I informed him as I crept over to stand by his side.

Edward studied the photo intently. "He looks like the serious type"

I shrugged my shoulders and glared at the photo he was holding. My dad was in his police uniform, and stood tall with his hands placed firmly behind his back.

"Well he is the Chief of police after all… He's mostly serious. But he's alright once you get to know him"

Edward nodded slightly before glancing over at the other photos, when a cheeky grin appeared on his face. "Awe, look at innocent little Bella" He smiled as he picked up a photo of me when I was about three years old.

I felt the blood suddenly rush to my head and I quickly looked away in total embarrassment. My hair in the photo was tied up into pigtails and it was clearly visible that I was missing one of my front teeth. Lovely... NOT!

"Ok, how about we go and order some dinner. I'm _starving_!" I said as I took hold of Edward's muscular upper arm and guided him over to the couch. "Can I get you something to drink?" I offered, watching him take a seat.

He crossed his left leg casually over the other one and grinned up at me. "No thank you. I'm fine for now"

"Alright then…" I spoke cheerfully as I clapped my hands together once. "So with the Chinese food, is there anything in particular that you'd like to order?"

Edward's grin remained on his face. "Nope. I'm going to go with my instincts on this one and trust that you'll make a good decision"

I nodded my head slowly before I turned on my heels and headed for the kitchen. Rummaging through the top drawer, I came across the local Chinse store's brochure and searched through the variety of dishes. Once I had decided and double checked with Edward to make sure he was happy with my decision, I rang them up and ordered. As I was talking on the phone, I couldn't help but take a peek over at Edward every now and then. Most of the time he was simply gazing around the living room, but once he caught me staring and raised an eyebrow. He then covered his mouth with one of his hands and suddenly cracked up laughing.

"What's so funny?" I called out, once I'd hung up the phone.

"You were _totally_ dazzled by me!" He chuckled a few more times.

"I was _not_!" I argued, placing my hands on my hips in mock annoyance.

"Were too… You asked for Mongolian lamb twice, did you know that?"

I stared at him blankly for a moment, panicking to try and find something to say that would prove him wrong. "I – I know that. Maybe I wanted two servings… I love lamb you know"

Edward's facial expression told me that he thought somewhat otherwise. I sighed heavily and flopped down on the couch next to him. He started chuckling again and then turned around on the couch to face me.

"Lean forward" He instructed.

I frowned and narrowed my eyes at him. "Excuse me?"

Before I knew it, Edward had shuffled closer to me so that his leg was slightly touching mine. He reached up to my head and I involuntarily ducked from his touch.

"Bella, you've just got a leaf in your hair. Stay still!"

"Oh" I replied, turning my head so that he could take it out. "Thanks"

"No problem" He smiled, showing me the leaf as proof that he wasn't lying.

Suddenly I realised that I was beginning to feel a little hot. That's when I looked down and noticed my attire. Not only was I wearing my white turtleneck sweater, but I had a denim jacket over the top of it. Well… that and the fact that maybe having Edward sitting so close to me might have something to do with me feeling so hot.

"I'll be back in a minute" I said, getting up off the couch to head up to my room.

"I'll be counting!" He called out, sounding rather amused.

I rolled my eyes and threw my denim jacket onto the bed. As I turned around to check myself in the mirror, I got an awful surprise. My hair looked like a hurricane swept through it! I let out a quiet shriek and frantically ran my brush through the tangled knots. I'm going to punch Edward! _Ahhhh_! How come he didn't tell me that I looked like a complete freak? I thought to myself. Once I'd gotten my hair back to a reasonable state, I rushed down the staircase.

"Hey, why didn't you tell me that -" I stopped mid sentence as my eyes caught sight of my dad walking through the front door.

He looked up at me in a confused manor. Probably wondering why I had such a surprised facial expression.

"Bella honey, are you ok?"

I mentally shook my head and cleared my throat, preparing to fix up my previous sentence. "Yeah, umm…" I quickly glanced around the room, but Edward was nowhere to be seen. "What I was going to say was... Why didn't you tell me that you were going to be home so early?"

"There was a change of roster. Officer Spencer can't come in tomorrow, so I left early today as it's going to be a late one tomorrow" My dad suddenly frowned at me once he'd finished talking. "You don't look to good darling. Are you sure you're ok?"

All that was running through my mind was where on earth Edward could have been hiding. I focussed back on my dad and forced a smile. "Don't worry dad, I'm fine"

Just at that moment the doorbell rang, causing me to jump. Oh! That must be the delivery person. I grabbed my wallet from the kitchen counter and rushed over to open the door.

"Hey, thanks for delivering it so quickly" I greeted a thin darked haired lady as she handed me a plastic bag.

"You're welcome. That will be $22.95 please" She genuinely smiled up at me.

"Sure. Just a minute" I got out the correct change from my wallet and handed it to her.

Once she left, I closed the door and turned to find my dad staring at the plastic bag full of food. I followed his gaze and gently bit my lower lip.

"Like I said, I didn't know you were coming home early so I thought I'd order Chinese… For myself"

He kept looking at the bag in disbelief. "That looks like an awful amount of food for just one person"

"Hmm. Well you can have some if you like" I offered, secretly wishing he would just leave me alone.

"Oh, no thanks hun. I've already eaten down at the station"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "You had hamburgers again, didn't you?"

A wave of guilt instantly flashed across his face. "Maybe…"

"Dad, I knew having that cafe right next to your police station would be a bad influence on you!"

He muttered something incoherent as he made his way into the kitchen. Suddenly my stomach tied into knots as I remembered about Edward. Where is he? I rushed into the kitchen and held the fridge open as my dad searched for a beer.

"I'm going to take this up to my room. There's kind of a lot of work that needs to be done on an assignment, so I better get started while I eat"

My dad found the beer he was looking for and straightened up. He peered down at me and noticed that I was firmly holding onto the fridge door, preventing him from closing it. "You're taking that upstairs?"

Glancing over his shoulder, I saw that Edward had emerged from the laundry room and was quietly creeping across the living room towards the staircase.

"Yep, that's right. Taking it to my bedroom" I stalled.

"Ok, but just be careful not to spill anything" He said, eventually prying the fridge door from my fingers. "Oh and by the way. Did you notice that there is a silver Volvo parked right outside our place?"

I held my breath and quickly tried to think of a believable white lie. "Err, yeah I did notice that… I think the neighbours have a visitor staying over or something"

"It's a nice car" He stated, twisting off the bottle cap.

I nodded and excused myself before quickly making my way to the staircase. Edward had already disappeared and had presumably made his way into one of the bedrooms. As I flicked on my light and turn around, I was very surprised to find a very handsome looking Edward Cullen stretched out on my bed.

"How did you know this was _my_ room?" I asked while trying hard not to look at a bit of his toned, bare stomach which was showing below his shirt line.

"Maybe it was a lucky guess" He stared up at the ceiling before a huge cheeky smirk slowly appeared on his face. "Or maybe… It was those bright pink panties that gave it away"

"_What_!" I managed to choke out as I instantly scanned the floor until my eyes caught sight of something pink near my feet. "_Oh my god!_"

I was absolutely mortified to say the least! In one swift movement I bent down and picked up my underwear, shoved them into my top drawer and turned around so he couldn't see my burning face. It was at that moment that I was expecting Edward to laugh hysterically at me, but the room fell completely silent. After a few seconds I worked up the courage to turn around, and I saw him gazing intently up into my eyes. He slowly sat up on the bed and gave me a lovely big smile.

"Can we eat? I'm absolutely famished and that smells wonderful!"

I took a few deep breaths before placing the bag on top of my study desk. As I pulled out the containers, I couldn't help but feel like his eyes were fixed on me. Without looking at his face, I handed him some chopsticks and grabbed my swivel chair to sit on. My mind just couldn't get over the fact that he'd spotted my bright pink underwear. It must have fallen out of the washing basket while I was putting my clothes away this morning. Just thinking about what happened made my cheeks heat up once again. I lowered my head as I ate from the bowl, letting my hair cover my face.

"So, how exactly am I going to be able to get out of here without your father hearing or seeing me?" Edward asked casually as he scooped up some rice.

I raised my eyebrows and poked a piece of lamb with my chopstick. "Oh, umm… Well I suppose you'll have to wait until he falls asleep"

"So I guess we'll have plenty of time then" He smiled innocently. A little _too_ innocently…

I looked up from my bowl and glared at him suspiciously. "Plenty of time for what?

"Oh I don't know. Maybe a little bit of…"

"_Edward_!" I cut him off, feeling my heart beat increase at the very thought of making out with him in my bedroom.

"… Dancing" He finished, grinning from ear to ear. "What you were thinking, Bella? …"

I sighed heavily and glanced over at the smug look upon his face. "Shut up and eat your food before it gets cold!"

Edward smirked wickedly and shook his head as he gave one last chuckle.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry that its been a while since I've had the chance to update! I've been really busy... But please hang in there because I've got some great ideas to come! Thank you soooo much to everyone who has reviewed, you've inspired me to write more. xoxox Enjoy!**

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Surprisingly, between the two of us we managed to eat pretty much everything that we ordered. I told Edward to stay put and be quiet while I took the leftovers down into the fridge and threw the empty containers out. My dad was too busy drinking his beer and focused on the ball game to even notice my presence. I made my way back up to my room and closed the door behind me. Edward, who was casually sitting on my bed where I left him, stopped gazing around the room and landed his bright green eyes on me.

"Sounds like Charlie's occupied down there" He smirked, making him look all the more handsome.

"Yeah, he's in his own little world. There's nothing better than having a cold beer while watching sport. Or so he says" I made my way back over to the swivel chair I was sitting on before and plonked myself down.

Edward casually leant back on his hands and that's when I noticed that he had taken his jacket off. I couldn't help but stare at the way his navy blue buttoned shirt hugged his body perfectly. Is it getting hot in here or is it just me? I thought, suddenly averting my eyes as he looked in my direction. My whole body started to heat up so I decided to pull my sweater off. I slightly cringed as I looked down at the plain grey tee I had on. If I had known that I'd be having an extremely hot guy in my room, I definitely would have put on something a little nicer… But oh well, it was too late to worry about that now.

Even with my sweater off, the room still felt a little stuffy. Edward was still staring at me with those mesmerizing eyes, which really didn't help the situation. The artificial light made his pale skin look somewhat tanned. He was gorgeous… I couldn't deny that. My heart skipped a beat as I realised we'd been staring at each other for longer than intended.

"Um, is that window behind you open?" I asked.

Edward tore his eyes away from mine and pulled back the curtains to check. In one quick motion he opened the window and moved back into his previous position – staring at me. "It is now" He smiled.

"Thanks" I mumbled, tucking some strands of hair behind my ear. What on earth is he thinking about when he looks at me like that, I wondered.

"How about we practice the dance routine?" He suggested all of a sudden, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I groaned louder than intended, causing him to raise one of his eyebrows in amusement.

"You're really serious about this whole dance thing, aren't you"

He simply tilted his head slightly to one side and shrugged his shoulders. "I think this is the perfect opportunity, don't you? We're both together… Alone"

"Yeah but I think you're forgetting one important factor…" I quickly interrupted him. "My _dad_ is in the house!"

"Yes, I'm aware of that"

"Oh? Then you'll also be aware that I just can't turn the music on and stomp around when I told him that I'm working on an assignment"

"We're not going to be stomping and we don't need music… I can hum the tune" He ended his sentence in a rather seductive voice.

Before I had the chance to add my opinion, he suddenly shifted to the edge of the bed and reached out for the arm rests on my chair.

"_Edward_" I whined as he pulled me towards him. Trying to ignore the fact that he brought me right in between his legs, I closed my eyes and focussed on breathing.

"Bella..." I heard him whisper my name, as I imagined his face to be mere inches from my own. Why is he putting me through this torture? I swear, if I opened my eyes right now, I'm probably just going to grab onto him and have my way with him right here and now. He is _that_ enticing!

"Please look at me" He whispered once again in his silky smooth voice.

I kept my eyes firmly shut and shook my head to indicate no. He exhaled when he sighed and I instantly felt the warmth of his breath brush across my face. Within a few seconds, he gently took hold of my hands and slowly began to trace circles with his fingertips. It didn't take long for me to give in as a huge smile spread across my face. I opened my eyes and avoided his gaze by looking down at out entwined hands.

"I seriously don't even know why you want to dance with me anyway… I'm clearly not good at it" I mumbled softly.

An awkward silence fell between us for a moment, before Edward finally spoke. "I thought that would be obvious… Why I want to dance with you, I mean"

I lifted my head up and ran my eyes over his serious facial expression. My look of total bewilderment made him laugh and a smile slowly formed on his face as he calmed down and stared into my eyes. It looked like he was about to say something but instead he tightened his grip on my hands and motioned for me to stand up.

I sighed in frustration that he didn't explain himself, but I kept quiet and followed him to the centre of the room. Once we were facing one another, he reached out and placed his right hand on my waist. I gasped at the warmth of his touch which penetrated through the thin material of my shirt.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking down at my concerned face.

"Nothing!" I said a little too quickly.

He stared at me sceptically for a moment before exhaling. "Alright. Now, do you remember the first few steps?"

I bit my lowered lip as I placed one of my hands on his broad shoulder. "Um not really…"

Instead of laughing at me like I thought that he would, he simply nodded and talked me through it. After a quick run over of the routine, Edward started humming the tune like he said he would. I held my breath and blushed as he suddenly pulled me closer to his body. Surprisingly, the next half an hour was really fun. I stuffed up frequently, but Edward never lost his cool and always helped me to correct my footing. We tried to keep our giggles at a quiet level, but at times it was a little difficult.

Everything was going fine until he gently spun me around... Being the klutz that I am, I accidently tripped over my own foot and stumbled backwards. I immediately grabbed onto the closest thing to me, which happened to be Edward. What occurred next happened so quickly that it was all a blur to me. When I grabbed onto Edward's shirt, he lunged forward to try and stable me, but in the process he lost his footing... That resulted in the both of us falling onto the bed. I was thankful for the soft landing, and for the fact that Edward was able to support his weight without squashing me. He was leaning over my body, breathing heavily as he gazed down into my eyes. I mirrored his actions and then broke into a laugh once the initial shock was over. Edward apparently didn't seem to find the situation as funny as I did. He kept his eyes locked on mine until I slowly stopped laughing. I suddenly held my breath as realisation dawned on me what he was about to do…

He was going to kiss me...

But just as our faces were merely centimetres about, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Edward clearly heard them too, as he tore himself away from me and searched frantically for a place to hide.

"Over there – in my wardrobe" I whispered quickly.

He took my advice and stepped into the wardrobe, closing it just as there was a knock at my bedroom door. I straightened my clothing, shifted myself into the swivel chair and moved over to my desk.

"Come in" I called, desperately trying to stable my voice.

My dad slowly opened the door and poked his head into the room. "Sorry to disturb you honey, but I just wanted to say goodnight"

"Oh. Ok, goodnight dad" I smiled as I got up and walked over to the door to give him a brief hug.

"Also, would you be able to pop down to the shops tomorrow? I wrote out a list of items that we're running low on. It's down on the kitchen table"

"Yeah, sure thing dad. That shouldn't be a problem"

"And remember I'm going to have a late one tomorrow, so you'll have to organise dinner for yourself again, ok?"

I nodded. "Yep, that's fine. I'm sure I'll manage"

We said goodnight to each other once again and I waited until he had moved away before closing the door. I walked over to my wardrobe and opened up the wooden door.

"See, I told you that you wouldn't get caught!"

Edward stepped out from the shadows and smirked down at me. "That was a close call though…"

I shrugged my shoulders as I unintentionally fiddled with the hem of my top. "Meh, it's all good"

There was another moment of silence between us while we thought about what to do next. I looked over at my clock which displayed 10.20pm. Geez, time really does fly by when you're having fun! Edward seemed to read my mind.

"I suppose I'd better head off…" He sounded rather disappointed. I nodded, giving in to the inevitable. The space between us slowly closed as he made his way over to me. "It's been quite a day, hasn't it?"

I nervously ran my hand through my long hair and gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah, it sure had it ups and downs"

"So… I guess you'll be a bit busy tomorrow. What with the shopping and all" He placed both of his hands in his pockets and awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other.

I avoided his gaze as his beautiful green eyes were starting to make me dizzy and weak. "Yeah… I have a few other chores to do around the house as well" I mentally slapped myself in the face. _Why_ did I just say that?

"Oh, you know what? I'm actually getting a piano delivered to my place tomorrow" He informed me, watching as my face lit up.

"Are you serious? You bought your own _piano_?"

"Err, not exactly… It's just something that's been in the family – and um yeah, now I'm getting it"

"Cool" I replied, smiling genuinely up at him. "Well, that'll keep you occupied"

He nodded slowly before walking over to pick his jacket up from my bed. "So… I guess I'll see you on Monday?"

I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Don't remind me… I seriously do have some homework that I need to complete by then"

I made sure that the coast was clear before I ushered Edward downstairs to the front door. The wind was blowing a gale outside, it sounded quite scary as it howled through the trees. We stood there staring at each other for a few seconds, deciding how to say goodnight. Edward was the one who made the first move. He stepped forward and bent down to hug me. I was surprised that when our faces got closer, he planted a soft kiss on my cheek. I couldn't help but grin like a fool as I hugged him tighter.

"Goodnight Edward" I said as I breathed in his scent.

"Goodnight to you too, Bella" His warm breath tickled my neck.

We gazed into each others eyes one last time before he turned and headed down the driveway to his Volvo. I smiled and gave him a wave before he got in the car and drove off. As I stepped back inside and locked the door behind me, I sighed happily and leant against the wall.

I was _totally_ falling for Edward Cullen...


	10. Chapter 10

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**Monday – 1****st**** lesson of the day**

As I stepped inside the classroom my eyes instantly met with Edward's. He was sitting up the back of the room in his usual spot behind Mike. I couldn't help but smile cheerfully as I made my way down the aisle. Unfortunately, Mike looked up at me and thought that I was actually smiling at _him_! Oh no, he's expecting me to sit next to him I thought to myself. While taking a few deep breaths, I avoided Mike's gaze and moved over to the empty seat beside Edward instead. As I slipped my bag off my shoulder, Edward politely pulled the chair out for me.

"Thank you" I smiled, glancing over at his face. To say that he was grinning would have been an understatement. Geez, it looked like he had just won the lottery or something!

"Err… Bella?" Mike drawled out my name, causing me to break away from Edward's beautiful glowing features.

I stared at Mike expectantly and waited for him to ramble on about what I was doing, but he remained silent and stared at me with his eyebrows raised up in a concerned way. That's when I noticed that Jessica and Angela, who were seated in front of Mike, were also looking at me questioningly.

"Is there a problem here?" Edward spoke directly to Mike and the tone of his voice startled me.

Mike seemed to ignore Edward and kept staring at me. "Are you still mad at me for what I said to you on Friday?" He spoke quietly.

Images of Friday night flashed before my eyes where he had pressed his index finger against my lips and told me that he had feelings for me. I also remembered him telling me that it would hurt him to see me with Edward… Oops, my bad.

"Um no, I'm not mad. Everything's fine…" I lied as I concentrated on searching for my maths book. I knew that I'd packed it in here this morning – "Found it!" I regrettably said out loud instead of in my head.

Mike had opened his mouth and was ready to say something, when the teacher stepped into the room and told the class to settle down and pay attention. Mike finally turned around in his seat and grudgingly accepted the fact that I had chosen to sit next to Edward instead of him.

Edward and I smirked and exchanged glances of satisfaction. He then winked at me before turning his attention to the teacher up the front of the room. Oh boy am I going to be bombarded with questions when I get out of here…

And I was right. As I was finishing up getting changed for sport, Angela and Jessica suddenly appeared and took a seat next to me on the bench.

"Ok, spill it Bella!" Jessica blurted out.

I looked up from tying my shoes and genuinely gave her a puzzled look. "Spill what?"

"Don't play dumb! We know that there's something going on between you and Cullen" Angela said before adjusting her glasses.

I shook my head and continued to tie my other shoe. "Edward and I are just friends. I wanted to sit next to him to keep him company, that's all"

Jessica bumped my arm, causing me to stuff my laces up. "And you just happen to be the _only_ girl he'll take a second glance at…"

"Oh I think he's had _more_ than two glances, Jess!" Angela added before both girls burst out giggling.

I rolled my eyes and sat up straight so I could look at them. "Are you girls like jealous or something?"

They both suddenly coughed and cleared their throats. "Um, no we're just curious as to what's going on between the both of you" Jessica said innocently.

I raised an eyebrow before gathering my belongings. Geez I wish they'd just drop the topic already. "I told you, we're just _friends_"

"Ok, ok… So you're not willing to tell us just yet. But there was something else I wanted to tell you. I'm turning 18 this Saturday and to celebrate I'm having a party at my house. It's gonna be totally awesome – my mum has ordered a catering service, and a D.J who's going to play wicked songs for us to dance to! I'm inviting you, so please pretty please won't you come along?"

"Of course I will! That sounds fantastic, I'd love to go" I laughed as Jessica squealed and jumped around on the spot like a little kid.

Angela swiftly whispered something in her ear, and it made her stop abruptly. "Oh and um, you can invite Edward if you like" Jessica nudged my upper arm and winked.

"Really, you wouldn't mind?" I asked sceptically.

"Of course not! And besides, it would be wonderful to be able to get to know him a little better"

"Alright, well I'll let you know what he says and I'll get back to you"

"Excellent!" Both girls said simultaneously.

* * *

It was now lunch time and I knew exactly where Edward was hiding… In the music room. I made my way over there and sure enough, there he was playing his breathtaking song that I had heard him play the other week. Not a minute had passed until Edward suddenly sensed someone watching him. He stopped abruptly and spun his whole body around on the chair, which in the process accidently caused him to knock his music folder to the ground.

"Hey! I thought I'd find you in here" I called out and couldn't help but smile when his expression calmed down as he realised that it was only me. Since he was temporarily in shock, I walked over and picked up the folder for him.

"You know, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that" He said rather seriously, but managed to smile courteously as he took the folder from my hand.

"Come now, I'm sure you love the whole surprise factor" I tried to say in a seductive tone. He simply stared blankly at me, waiting for me to say something else. Oh well, it's best to just come out and ask him. I took a deep breath and ran my index finger along the top of the piano. "Anyways, I was wondering… Do you have any plans for Saturday night?"

His expressionless features suddenly changed into one of amusement. "Bella, are you tyring to ask me out?"

I blushed profusely as I tucked some loose strands of hair behind my ear. "Sort of… Edward I'm asking you to go to a party with me" I waited patiently for his response but he remained silent and his face was unreadable. So I decided to give him more details. "It's my friend Jessica's 18th and it's going to be held at her house -"

Edward slowly spun around on the chair so that he now faced the piano. "I don't really like parties" He spoke softly before running his fingers over a few of the keys, producing a beautiful sound.

I stared at the side of his face in shock before scoffing loudly. "You're kidding right?"

"Nope" He said casually while continuing to play the lovely melody.

"How can you _not_ like parties?" I asked staring down at him as I positioned my hands on my hips.

Edward sighed and his fingers suddenly stopped moving along the keys. He then turned his head and ran his eyes quickly over my body. "I don't know… For starters there are always way too many people -"

"Ah that's kind of the whole idea!" I interrupted bumping him lightly on the head. "How boring would it be if you only invited and handful of people"

"- It's a chance for underage kids to consume alcohol"

"Oh come on Edward, her parents are going to be there! They're not going to want their house trashed, and I'm sure they'll be keeping their eyes out for anyone trying to sneak some in" I watched as he rubbed his temples in frustration and I laughed to myself. He was slowly giving in! "And besides, it'll give you a great opportunity to socialise with the other students… Everyone thinks you're a grump"

"_You_ don't"

"Huh? That's not the point!" I said, giving him a weird look.

"Look I don't care what anyone else thinks about me…" He said while fixating his alluring green eyes directly onto mine.

"Ok, fine" I exhaled a breath of air I hadn't even realised I'd been holding in. Then suddenly I thought of a different tactic to get him to go with me. "But won't you at least come along to keep the hormone raged boys away from me?" I cleverly battered my eyelashes for extra effect.

He narrowed his eyes at me while pondering over my words. "Alright, I'll go…"

"Awe thank you _so_ much! It'll be loads of fun!" I bent down and flung my arms around his shoulders.

Edward immediately pulled me down onto the piano seat next to him and I felt his strong, warm arms embrace me. "But I want to make it clear that I'm only doing this for you… And that you owe me big time"

Leaning back in his arms, I thoroughly scanned his face and asked cautiously. "What do you want in return?"

He smirked and slowly began to close the gap between our faces. I quickly moistened my lips and closed my eyes. _Finally! _I thought to myself. He was going to kiss me for sure! But I pouted in annoyance when his lips passed by mine and stopped right next to my ear.

"I'll get back to you on that one…" He whispered in a very sexy voice.

My hands instantly grabbed hold of his collared shirt and I turned my face so that my lips were now grazing the side of his cheek. "… Sure, but make certain that it includes me" I whispered slowly and seductively before breaking out of his embrace and hopping off the seat.

Miraculously I made it all the way out of the room without: a) tripping over my own feet and b) not once taking a glance over my shoulder. As I exited the room rather gracefully I must add, I wanted so badly to see his facial expression but I thought this way was a lot more affective.

If he was going to continue denying me kisses like that, then I was going to tease him until he gives me what I want!

**

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**Hey guys! I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hehehe cheeky Bella ;P**

**Please keep reviewing, you guys rock! xoxox**


	11. Chapter 11

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****Saturday – Jessica's Party**

I frantically glanced over at my desk clock – 5.15pm. Edward will be here to pick me up in fifteen minutes I thought to myself as I rushed to finish getting ready. I had been shopping _all_ day to find the perfect dress for the party. Eventually after searching through every dress store, I managed to find the perfect one. It was a dark purple bubble halter dress with beautiful crystal straps that wrapped around my neck. The straps came down into a 'v' shape until they were fastened to the front of the garment by a fake but elegant silver jewel. The material was made of satin and it felt so soft and delicate against my skin.

I had blow dried my long brown hair straight and then got out my curling iron to create a few loose ringlets. After applying some strawberry lip gloss, some light pink powder on my eyelids, a thin line of black eyeliner and a coat of mascara, I walked over and stood in front of my full length mirror, staring at the girl before me. Not bad at all! I smiled as I smoothed out my purple dress and stepped into a pair of silver flats.

I wanted to look beautiful - but not for the party... For Edward.

Suddenly a car horn beeped twice, and my heart instantly skipped a beat. I rushed over to my window and peered through the curtains. Edward stepped out of his car and I couldn't help but swoon as I took in his gorgeous god-like features. He looked totally _stunning_! As I swooned some more and leant against my window sill, I let my eyes roam over his perfect body. He was wearing a long sleeved pale blue buttoned shirt and a pair of black pants. I giggled lightly as I noticed that his hair was as messy as ever. It was a style that only _he_ could pull off.

At that exact moment, Edward's eyes roamed up to my bedroom window and made direct contact with me. I blushed furiously at being caught staring and raised my hand to give him a quick wave.

"Are you coming down, Bella?" I heard him call out before a huge smile appeared on his face. "Or are you happy to continue admiring the view from up there?"

My face heated up even more, but I managed to call back in a steady voice "Just give me a minute"

I quickly checked myself one last time in the mirror, fanned my face to cool it down and took a deep breath before heading down the stairs. The moment I opened the front door and stepped outside, Edward's eyes glistened as he stared longingly at me. I couldn't help but smirk as I made my way over to where he was leaning casually against his car.

"Bella" He breathed as he ran his eyes over my body as politely as possible before he locked onto my face. "You look absolutely beautiful!"

"Thanks" I replied blushing once again. "You don't look too bad yourself!"

Edward smiled brilliantly and led me around to the passenger side. He opened the door like a proper gentleman and waited for me to get in. My dress had instantly hiked itself up once I was seated. Oh _damn_ it! Clearly I hadn't thought about sitting down in this dress… Sure it was fine when I was standing – it was a few inches above my knees. But sitting down in this garment made me feel quite uncomfortable. I quickly grabbed the hem and pulled it down as best as I could so that it covered as much of my thighs as possible. By then, Edward had made his way around to the driver's side and got in. Instead of staring at my bare legs like any other greedy man would have, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off my face. I smiled back at him a little awkwardly as I held the end of my dress firmly place.

"Are you alright?" He asked, clearly seeing my look of discomfort. "Are you nervous about the party?"

I shook my head and pursed my lips together before letting a short laugh escape my mouth. "No, no. I'm fine"

"Because we don't have to go… If you don't want to" And then all of a sudden, Edward blurted out. "That's an idead! How about we ditch this party all together and you and I can go out to a fancy restaurant instead?"

I stared at him dumfounded, feeling completely speechless and caught off guard. Sure that idea sounded lovely, but I had promised Jessica that we would be there for her birthday. The hopeful expression on Edward's face suddenly fell and was replaced with one of regret, looking as if he wished he could take back his words.

"Don't worry about it… I know that Jessica is a friend of yours and um… Look, I don't even know why I suggested it" Edward knitted his eyebrows together and fiddled with the keys as he struggled to get them in the ignition.

Before he got the chance to take the car out of neutral, I reached over and placed my hand on his upper arm.

"But some other night when we don't have a party to attend, I would love to go out to dinner with you" I smiled which seemed to put him at ease. When he didn't say anything after a few seconds had passed, I added "We won't stay too long, I promise. It'll just make her happy if we make an appearance… Then we can sneak out"

"Sounds like a good plan" He chuckled while finally deciding to start up the engine.

* * *

We were rather surprised as we pulled into Jessica's street. Cars were parked everywhere.

"It looks like Jessica has invited the whole of Forks!" Edward stated as he finally found a narrow spot at the end of the road that was just the right size for his car to squeeze in.

"Hmm, looks like it" I breathed as I suddenly felt a little uneasy. I didn't think it was going to be _this_ big!

Edward came around to my side of the car and took my hand as we made our way up to the massive house. A young guy in his early twenties opened the front door and greeted us with too much enthusiasm for my liking.

"_Hey_ guys! Here for the party?" He grinned. I nodded my head while I heard Edward groan softly. "_Excellent_! I'm Jessica's brother, Steven. Please come in and follow me! Everyone's out in the backyard. Oh this is going to be _so_ much fun!"

Edward and I exchanged glances and smirked as we were clearly thinking the same thing... gay.

As we followed Steven through the house, the sound of people chatting and loud dance music filled the air. A large crowd of people gathered out in the backyard, laughing and swaying to the music. The moment Steven ushered us outside, Jessica bounced over to us and embraced me in a tight hug.

"Hey Bella, I'm so glad you could make it!" When she stepped back from me, she eyed Edward over and grinned. "Edward, don't you look lovely!"

"Thanks. So do you" He murmured quickly.

Someone else rushed over and interrupted us by hugging Jessica and distracting her. Edward tightened his grip on my hand and gently pulled me around the sea of dancing bodies.

"So what do we do now?" Edward asked, raising his voice so I could hear him over the loud music.

"We mingle" I shrugged, looking around at all the faces that I didn't recognise.

"You don't even know half these people do you?"

"Not really. But that doesn't matter. Come on, dance with me" I pleaded, taking hold of his hand.

"Whoa! Who are you and _what_ have you done with Bella? I thought you were uncomfortable with dancing" Edward mused as he eyed me curiously.

I shrugged my shoulders as we made our way into the crowd. "You've given me confidence. Besides, nobody stares at you when you're in a crowd this big!"

Edward laughed and started swaying along to the beat with me.

After a while I started to feel a little dehydrated, and I could tell that Edward was thinking the same thing.

"Would you like me to get you a drink?" He asked, speaking close to my ear so I could hear him.

I nodded gratefully and he told me that he would be right back. My body continued to move to the rhythm of the upbeat music, and I was feeling happy and relaxed. But that was a moment short lived. Suddenly I felt someone tap me on my bare shoulder and I spun around thinking it was Edward… Wrong. It was Mike.

"Bella? _Wow_! I hardly recognise you" He immediately eyed my body from head to toe. Unlike the polite manner in which Edward had done it earlier, the way Mike was scanning me over felt rather uncomfortable and rude.

"Great party eh?" I said the first thing that came to my head, trying to get him to focus on something else.

"Yeah, I've been dancing up the front with the rest of the guys for quite some time now. And then I turned around and saw you… Now this party suddenly seems a lot brighter!"

I gave an awkward laugh and hastily glanced around, hoping that Edward would come to the rescue. No such luck.

"So what is a pretty girl like you doing dancing all by yourself anyway? Why don't you come down to the front and dance with me"

I avoided his hand when he reached out to grab mine and automatically took a step backwards. "Actually, I'm not alone -"

Mike ignored my body language and reached out to wrap his arm around my shoulder. "Come on, why don't you show me some of those dance moves you learnt on Friday afternoon?"

I winced while trying to wriggle out of his grip. "Um… This isn't the right style of music for that"

"Bella? Is everything alright here?"

Finally! I heard the one voice that I was _praying_ to hear. I spun my head around and smiled thankfully up at Edward. Mike had the hide to keep his arm firmly around me as he looked slightly surprised.

"Oh, I didn't know you were invited..." Mike spoke rather rudely.

Edward glared down at him menacingly, before gazing at the arm that lingered on my bare shoulder. I immediately started to try and release myself once more and I swear Edward growled when Mike refused to let me go.

"Mike, let me _go_!" My voice sounded firm and annoyed.

He finally obliged and let me go just before Edward looked like he was about to loose his temper.

"I'll see you around, Bella" He said before giving me a wink.

I turned around, feeling disgusted and appalled by his behaviour. Edward swore under his breath and sighed before handing me a glass of lemonade.

"Sorry I took so long. It was difficult finding something that was non alcoholic"

"_What_? But practically everyone here is underage!" I said, sniffing my lemonade suspiciously.

"I warned you about this…" Edward muttered, guiding me away from the dancing crowd.

"But Jessica's parents -"

"Don't seem to be here" He finished off my sentence, watching me stare cautiously at my drink. "It's not spiked Bella; I opened a fresh can and poured it myself"

I believed him straight away and raised my glass to my lips so that I could quench my thirst. "Oh well, I suppose it's not our problem if the house gets trashed eh?" As I consumed my lemonade, I glanced around at the rowdy group of people. Every second person appeared to be downing a glass of beer. All of a sudden my eyes caught sight of someone I strongly hoped I would never,_ ever _see again! I sprayed out the remaining liquid I had in my mouth and started violently coughing.

"Bella, take it easy! Are you alright?" Edward frantically asked while trying to help by patting my back.

I managed to stop coughing and grabbed onto a handful Edward's shirt. "I want to leave right _now_!"

Edward was taken back by my sudden change of attitude and reached down to place his hand in mine. "Yes, of course we can leave… But is something wrong?"

I took another glance over my shoulder and noticed that a pair of gleaming, evil eyes were now staring right back at me. My heart rate sped right up and I turned back to look directly into Edward's confused eyes. I uttered the one word which made Edward boil over on the inside…

"_Jacob_!"


	12. Chapter 12

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"Please _don't _do this Edward!" I pleaded with him as I tugged on the sleeves of his pale blue shirt.

A wave of panic suddenly rushed through my entire body. A fight was going to break out, I could just see it! Edward continued to ignore me as he clenched his jaw and tightened his fists in rage. By the way he was glaring daggers at Jacob; it looked as if his anger was going to burst out of him at any minute.

"Let's just be mature about this and get out of here. That way no one needs to get hurt!" I desperately tried to get through to him but it was no use.

Edward responded by making a growling sound which rumbled through his chest. I sighed and quickly glanced over my shoulder to look at Jacob. Surprisingly he had remained where he was, with his arms folded arrogantly across his chest. I think he was waiting to see if Edward would make the first move. By the looks of things, he clearly seemed to be enjoying the show… And that mad me _furious_! My lips were now pressed firmly together and I narrowed my eyes at him before turning back around to face Edward.

"Ok. I'm _leaving_!" I announced directly into his face, hoping that he would make the right decision and follow behind me. I brushed past him and walked a few of metres before checking to see if he had registered what I had said. "_Edward_!" I shrieked, hearing my voice crack when I called his name.

He was now striding over towards Jacob. Somehow I managed to move my legs, and started running over to towards them as quickly as I could. A pair of large hands suddenly grabbed my waist and desperately held me back. I tried to pry them off me, but whoever it was had a firm grip.

"I think you'd better stay out of this" A voice warned me from behind. I immediately recognised who it was and swung my head sideways to see Mike staring at the scene unfolding before us.

"Let me _go_! I need to stop this!" I demanded harshly, but Mike only tightened his grip around my waist.

It was at that point that I realised that most people had now stopped dancing and had formed a circle around the two guys in the middle. I grimaced in disapproval as I focused my gaze onto Edward. He was now directly in front of Jacob and even though Edward was slightly taller, Jacob seemed to be the one who was more solid. Suddenly everyone went quiet as Edward reached out and took hold of Jacob's white collared shirt. The sound of the music still played on as if nothing was happening.

"What you did – and _tried _to do to her was absolutely _despicable_!" Edward spat the words firmly into his face. "You make me _sick _to the core of my bones"

Jacob, who kept that smug smile on his face, unfolded his arms and raised them in the air. "So why don't you go ahead and punch me!" He dared.

Edward seemed to be pondering the idea as he stared repulsively at his face.

"_What the hell is going on here_?" Jessica screamed out in a high pitch tone as she ran across the yard towards the circle. "No one is going to be punching _anybody_! It's my birthday for crying out loud!"

Everyone except me stared at Jessica before taking their eyes off her and looking back at the guys for a response. My eyes never left Edward… After hearing Jessica's words, he currently seemed to be contemplating his options. The music was still playing in the background and to my surprise a few people were carrying on dancing like nothing was happening.

"Edward…" I called his name, hoping he would hear me.

The sound of my voice caught his attention. He tore his gaze from Jacob's and instantly shot me a remorseful expression. Thankfully Mike released his hands from me just before Edward had noticed. I didn't want to start another fight! He finally let go of Jacob's shirt and started to walk swiftly towards me. When Edward was within range, he reached out his hand and I eagerly took it, following beside him.

"Let's get out of here" He mumbled, soft enough that only I could hear.

When we had left the house altogether and were now alone, I let go of his hand like it was on fire and strode off in front of him.

"Why did you have to act all macho like that? Couldn't you have just left him alone?"

Edward quickened his pace so that he was now beside me once again. "Bella, don't you remember what he tried to do to you?"

"Of course I do! It was a _nightmare… _But that doesn't give you the excuse to beat him up"

"Someone ought to. He deserves it" Edward muttered.

I ignored him huffed in annoyance. "Why on earth was he at the party anyway…? Surely he can't be a friend of Jessica's"

"I don't know... Maybe he's sweet talking her into something as well"

"Shut up, Edward. That's not funny!"

We were now approaching Edward's vehicle. I could see the shiny silver paint glistening in the moonlight.

"You want me to take you straight home?" Edward asked sneaking a glance in my direction.

I was just about to mumble yes when I was suddenly cut off by someone else's voice. _His_ voice...

"Or maybe you'd rather go home with me?"

Edward and I spun around at once and saw that Jacob was casually following a short distance behind us. A quick scream escaped my mouth as I freaked out and completely froze on the spot.

"Bella wait in the car" Edward whispered in a strong tone.

"N-No…" I stuttered, feeling a cold chill run through my body. "Not without _you_"

My legs felt like they were frozen on the spot and I was unable to move even if I wanted to. However, Edward's arm immediately shot out and gently pushed me in the direction of his Volvo.

"Get in the car!" He spoke louder this time, and I backed up a little until he focussed his attention back to Jacob. I held my breath and hoped for the best.

"What the hell is your _problem_?" Edward growled even more dangerously than he had before in Jessica's backyard.

"Just thought I'd offer the girl another option" Jacob shrugged his shoulders and stared eagerly at my body before giving me a wink. "… Nice"

This made Edward lose his mind. One minute he was standing right in front of me, the next he was lunging towards Jacob in a fit of rage. I screamed again as I heard the sound that their bodies made when they smacked up against one another. Edward went to throw a punch but missed and Jacob ducked and tackled him around the waist.

"_Stop it! Don't hurt him!_" I frantically shrieked out as I choked on my words. My body started to tremble and I could feel salt water building up in my eyes.

What could I _do_? How could I stop them?

My hands moved up to my face and I watched on in horror through the gaps between my fingers. Jacob swore out loud as he copped a rather nasty punch to the side of the head, courtesy of Edward.

"_Don't do this…_" I wailed while I blinked back the tears that were now flowing freely down my cheeks.

My vision was blurred, and I couldn't seem to make out who was who anymore. All of a sudden my legs felt like jelly and I slowly gave in and sunk to the ground, landing helplessly on my knees. Edward suddenly yelled out in pain and I instantly lifted my head to see what happened. He was now flat on his back with his right leg in an awkward position. Jacob crouched over his body and let out a quick laugh as he watched Edward suffering in pain. I screamed my lungs out as loud as I could in the hope that someone would come out of their house and help.

All of a sudden my prayers were answered when the sound of a police siren filled the air. Jacob was off and away from Edward within seconds and bolted down the road as fast as he could. Somehow I managed to muster up enough strength to stand up on my own two feet and stumble over to help Edward.

"_Oh my God_! What has he done to you? Are you in pain? Can you move?" I frantically spoke quickly as I helped him into a sitting position.

"I think it's twisted…" He groaned as he rubbed his hands along his right calf down to his foot.

As I crouched beside him, I glanced up and noticed that the flash of red and blue lights were now visible at the end of road. It was at that moment that my eyes caught sight of an old lady across the street, peering through her window with a frightened look upon her face. She instantly pulled the curtains across and stepped away when she noticed I was looking at her.

I sighed heavily and tried to wipe the salt water from my eyes. "We better get out of here; I don't want to explain this to the police… Word will get back to my dad!"

Edward winced in pain as he attempted to stand up. I wrapped my arms around his torso and put all my energy into lifting him up. Luckily his left leg was alright, and he was able to put his body weight onto that side. I told him to hop while my hands never let go of his body to stable him. We made our way behind the row of parked cars and sat down on the grass to hide from the view of the police. As the siren became louder, I found myself holding my breath.

Time seemed to drag on forever, even though only a few minutes had passed by. The police officer had stopped his vehicle and got out to investigate the area. All the while, Edward quietly continued to wince and groan in pain. Finally the officer gave up and returned to his vehicle. I sighed in relief and wrapped my arms around Edward's shoulders. My eyes were almost dry, but I was still frightened and upset by what had happened.

"Ssh it's ok Bella" He whispered into my hair.

I leant back and studied his face as if he was crazy. "It's _not_ ok! You've probably broken your leg or something… and, _oh my_ - you're cheek is going purple!" I gasped and gently held his face in my hands, being careful to avoid the bruise. "I think you need to go to the hospital"

Edward scoffed as if _I _was the crazy one. He closed his eyes and lightly shook his head within my grip. "Don't be silly. I'll be fine… It's nothing serious"

I let go of his face and dropped my hands into my lap. "Then what do you want to do? You certainly can't drive"

"You'll have to" He breathed before letting out a brief chuckle. It seemed to hurt his chest, so he quickly stopped. "This will be interesting"

"Shut up. I'm a safe driver!" I pushed him lightly. "Come on, I'll help you up"

Edward leaned against me as he hopped over to the passenger side. "I've never sat in _this _seat before. But there's a first time for everything I suppose"

I rolled my eyes and shut the door once he was settled. As I quickly made my way around to the driver's seat, I hopped in and noticed him staring at me with a concerned look.

"What? I'll take care of your precious baby. Don't worry"

He didn't seem to hear me as his eyes suddenly shot down to my legs. It looked as if he was scowling at how much of my skin was showing or something. I didn't care right now about how high my dress had risen; I just wanted to get out of here. So I ignored his gaze and reached over to put the keys in the ignition. The engine started to purr loudly and I was just about to ask him if he was sure that he didn't want me to take him to the hospital when he stated...

"You're _bleeding_!"

"_What_?" I gasped, turning to look at him. He was still staring at my legs, so I followed his gaze until I noticed that both of my knees were in fact bleeding. "Oh…" It must have been when I fell to the concrete I thought to myself… I'd landed on my knees.

Edward lifted his eyes to my face and he furrowed his eyebrows. "I told you to wait in the car"

I widened my eyes and glared over at him. "I told you not to _fight_!"

He exhaled deeply and then reached over to take hold my one of my hands. "I'm so sorry..."

I felt like calling him a complete idiot for what he had done and that he deserved the consequences. But as his fingers gently rubbed my trembling hand, and I looked over to his crestfallen face, I decided to hold onto my words.

"You'd better get some ice on that cheek of yours… It's swelling up" I took my hand out of his grasp and held onto the steering wheel instead.

"Is it that bad huh?" He asked, stretching up to peer in the rear view mirror. I watched him pull a disgusted face before gently prodding the area surrounding the dark purple bruise.

"I could still take you to the hospital to get checked over…"

"Definitely not!" He interrupted, leaning back in his seat. "I'd be more comfortable at home"

I nodded and slowly began to reverse out of the parking spot. "I'll need directions"

He was fairly quiet for most of the journey, only talking when he needed to tell me to make a left or right turn.

"Err… are your parents the type that's totally going to freak out over something like this?" I asked.

Edward was silent for a moment, and I took a quick glance at him to make sure that he hadn't fallen asleep. He was staring out the front window. The expression on his face looked as if I'd punched him hard in the stomach.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly, thinking that he was feeling the pain from his injuries.

He sniffed, and for one minute I thought he might actually have a tear in his eye. I gave him some privacy and turned my gaze back onto the road ahead of me.

The silence between us started to become slightly awkward after a while though, so I tried to break the tension by saying something. "So, um… I'll make sure you get settled alright and then I'll call for a cab to come and get me"

Out the corner of my eye, I noticed that Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It appeared as though he was about to say something, but decided to stop himself for some reason. Something was bothering him, and I was beginning to think that it wasn't just his injuries that had put him in a such a depressed mood.

Maybe he was nervous about me going to his house…

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**What did you think peoples? Exciting? Try not to worry about Edward, he's fine. I promise! :) There will be lots of Edward/Bella fluff to come! Keep reading and reviewing guys. I appreciate your kind words. xoxox**


	13. Chapter 13

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Apart from giving me directions, Edward remained very quiet. I glanced over at him every now and then, but he kept his eyes on the road ahead and appeared to be deep in thought. I didn't know what to say to him, so I kept my mouth shut and concentrated on driving. After a few minutes of travelling along the main road, I noticed that we were now starting to reach the outskirts of Forks. How far away did he live? I thought to myself. Did he even live in Forks? In the distance, I saw that the road branched off to the left.

"Do I continue going straight, or do I turn left?" I asked. My voice sounded a little husky because I hadn't spoken for a while. I quietly cleared my throat and waited patiently for an answer, but he remained silent. My head turned to take a fleeting look at his face, and to my surprise he wasn't even looking at the road ahead. He was staring down at his own hands. "_Edward_?"

"Huh?" He snapped back to reality and glanced up and out the front window to get a hold of his bearings.

"Do I go straight, or left?" I repeated the words quickly as I was nearing the intersection.

"Straight… Oh no wait, make a _left_!" He blurted out quickly, pointing to the side street.

But it was too late. I'd already passed the turn off and continued driving straight. I groaned in annoyance and turned to narrow my eyes at him.

"Sorry about that…" He said, noticing that I was quite agitated as I checked to make sure there wasn't any oncoming traffic before proceeding to do a u-turn.

"It's alright. No harm done" I assured him while I drove back and made the turn into the side street.

"We're not too far away now" He murmured softly.

Eventually his directions led us to a small apartment building and I parked the car over near the curb. I pulled the keys out from the ignition and handed them to Edward. His once radiant green eyes were now dull and lifeless as he gazed down at my scraped knees.

"Are you alright?" He whispered, choking a little on his words.

I lowered my eyes to check the damage for myself. The blood had already dried into dark scabs. "I'm fine" I sighed before looking back in his direction. "It's _you_ that I'm more concerned about"

He groaned and went to unbuckle his seat belt. "Well, don't be. I can take care of myself"

I stared at him dubiously and scoffed at the sight before me. "Hardly" Before he got the chance to say anything, I added. "So is anyone home that can take care of you?"

His eyes shot up to meet mine, and the look he gave me was unreadable. A few seconds of silence passed by before he spoke rather harshly. "No"

"Oh" I breathed, suddenly feeling worried for him. "Well I don't mind waiting around until someone comes home…"

Edward's strong glare suddenly pieced straight through me, and anger seemed to wash over his face. I immediately sensed that I'd said something I shouldn't have. I froze on the spot and dug my nails into the soft leather seat, waiting for whatever words he would spit out at me.

"You don't _understand_ do you, Bella? _No-one_ is coming home! My parents are _gone_! I'm all alone in this world now. I have nothing…" He stopped and hesitated for a moment when he saw my mouth drop open in complete and utter shock. "… But most importantly, I don't _want_ or need you sympathy"

My mouth felt extremely dry and I struggled to swallow as his words registered in my mind. I couldn't imagine what he must be going through… I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I lost Charlie and Renée…

Suddenly Edward was reaching for something inside the pocket of his pants. He swiftly pulled out his silver phone and pressed a few numbers before holding it up to his ear. What is he doing? Who is he calling? I sat there staring at his blank facial expression. Even though it wasn't showing, I could tell that he was hiding so much pain caused by the loss of his parents. I was almost lost in my thoughts until his voice spoke to someone on the other end of the phone.

"Hello, I'm calling for a cab -"

"_No_!" My arm shot out and reached for his phone to end the conversation. I successfully grabbed it and quickly closed it shut.

Edward was shocked and eyed me as if I were a lunatic. "Why did you do that?"

I helplessly stared straight into his eyes and slowly held my hand out for him to retrieve his phone. Without taking his eyes off mine, he gently took it before I closed my hand around his in a comforting way.

"You're wrong, Edward" I whispered to him. "You're not alone… I'm here"

He exhaled deeply and averted his gaze down to our entwined hands. His eyebrows knitted together and he scrunched his nose as if he was repulsed by something. "I don't want to drag you into my broken world -"

"It's too late" I interrupted and gently squeezed his hand. "I'm already in it… and I want to help"

"You're crazy" He stated, rolling his eyes.

"I know!" I beamed in delight at the fact that he was giving in to me. "Now stay right there and I'll come around to help you out"

I heard Edward groan in defeat as I hopped out of the car and rushed around to his side. He was silent the whole way over to the apartment building. I could tell that he was tyring not to lean too much of his weight on me while I held onto his waist and he awkwardly hobbled along the pavement. Even though it was only a small building and had just four levels, I looked up and wondered which floor he lived on. Surprisingly, he read my mind and answered the question for me.

"Sorry, I'm on the fourth floor"

I couldn't help but to laugh at our unfortunate luck. "It's ok. I'll get you up there in one piece"

It took us quite a lot of effort and a few curse words on my behalf, but eventually we made it to the top level, gasping for air. Edward pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. He reached out to flick on the light switch and began to sway. I quickly rushed over to help him again as he grabbed onto the door frame for support. We made out way into the room and he slightly winced as I lowered him down onto a two seater couch. I let out a large breath of air and stood back to take in my surroundings. The place was quite small, but it was cosy. From where I was standing I could see that there were two bedrooms to my right, a bathroom which was in between them, and a small kitchen behind the couch that Edward was lounging in. A large TV was positioned against the white wall behind me. I also noticed that he had large double glass doors which opened up to a smallish balcony.

"It's not much…" I heard Edward mumble, and I jumped a little at the sound of his voice breaking the silence.

"No, it's lovely!" I smiled over at him, but he didn't return the smile. It was under the bright light that I noticed the angry purple bruise more clearly on his cheek. I bit my lower lip and carefully looked away, thinking what I could do to help him. "Um, you don't happen to have some ice do you?"

"There should be some ice cubes in the freezer"

I nodded and made my way around the couch and into the small kitchen. Sure enough, there was a tray of ice cubes sitting in the freezer. I quickly grabbed the tray and popped the cubes of ice onto the counter and wrapped them up in a dish cloth.

"Press this to your cheek. It will help ease the swelling" I said as I handed him the bundle of ice and took a seat next to him on the edge of the couch.

"Thanks" He shivered as the cold ice touched his face.

"Now, what should we do about your foot?" I asked, letting my eyes roam down his long legs until I focussed on his foot.

"I don't know. Just leave it alone and it will heal on its own" He spoke with no concern what so ever.

I frowned at his attitude and folded my arms across my chest. "I think that I should at least take your shoe off and have a look. It might be swelling up"

He shrugged his shoulders in response, and for a moment I thought about leaving him alone if that's what he wanted so badly. But then I couldn't bring myself to do that, and I sighed in frustration as I got down on the carpet and sat crossed legged beside his feet. A loud ripping sound filled the air and I looked down in shock to find that one side of my dress had split right up the side along my thigh. _Oh my gosh_!

"What was _that_?" Edward asked, leaning forward on the couch.

"Nothing!" I replied hastily as I shot both of my hands down to pull the material together so that it partially covered my leg.

He suddenly started laughing hysterically while he weakly managed to hold the ice to his cheek. My face heated up from embarrassment and I lowered my head so that my long hair could hide the evidence on my cheeks. "Shut up" I moaned.

He stopped laughing that instant and sincerely apologized for his behaviour. "What a day this had been, hey?"

I could feel the humour in his voice, and I peered up to find that he had now leant back on the couch and had closed his eyes. "Yeah, it's been a bundle of laughs" I rolled my eyes and let go of the material, not giving a stuff about the dress anymore.

My fingers started to untie the laces on his shoe and I tried to remove it without causing him too much pain. The sock was next. I carefully peeled it off and chucked it to the side so that I could examine his foot. Not that I knew what I was doing when it came to a possible broken foot…

"Um, does this hurt?" I asked when I gently pressed my fingers around his ankle.

"No" He replied softly.

I ran my hands down to his heel and pressed against his skin. "What about now?"

"Nope"

I pressed my fingers on random spots around his foot, waiting for some sort of response but he never said anything, so I pressed more firmly. A short snicker suddenly escaped his lips, and I turned my head to find him holding back a fit of laughter.

"You find this _funny_?" I asked, raising one of my eyebrows.

He let out a few chuckles and cleared his throat. "Yeah, it kind of tickles"

"Oh" I rolled my eyes and stood up carefully as I held my dress together at the ripped side. "Well _clearly_ your foot can't be broken if you think it's amusing!"

He sighed and shifted the ice pack into his other hand so that he could pat the space beside him. I reluctantly took his offer and sat down next to him. Edward then took me by surprise and gently wrapped his free arm around my shoulders and brought me close up against his warm body. We sat there in silence for a moment until he started to snicker again. I turned my face so that I could see his, and I noticed his gorgeous lopsided grin was in place.

"What's so funny now?" I asked.

"Bella, sweetheart" He turned his face and removed the bundle of ice away from his face. My eyes watched as his lips were now merely a fraction away from my own. "You were examining the wrong foot" He whispered.

My heart plummeted and I felt my head flop lifelessly against his chest. "You could have said something instead of making me look like a complete idiot" I mumbled into his shirt before I brought my hand around and lightly punched him in the gut.

Edward chuckled softly, causing my body to go up and down with his laughter. "Sorry, but you were just too focussed… and you look cute when you're focussed" He paused for a moment before adding in a more serious tone. "You're not _mad_ at me are you?"

I slowly removed myself off his chest and leant back against the couch. His arm remained around my shoulders as he looked at my face.

"No"

"Good" He smiled that heart warming smile of his and I forced my eyes to look away and focus on his other foot.

"So would you like me to check the real sore foot? Or has it miraculously healed?"

"It's a bit sore" He admitted before scanning his eyes across my dress. "I think you should take that off" He said randomly.

My heart stopped beating for a moment and I held onto my breath as I turned to look at his serious facial expression. I slowly exhaled so I could speak and said in a high pitched voice. "_Excuse me_?"

He caught onto my wave length and raised both of his eyebrows in shock. "Bella, I didn't mean it like that… I meant, go and get changed into something else"

"I don't _have_ anything else!"

"I know. Go and find something of mine to put on. It's the room on the left" He pointed with his finger.

"Edward. Are you being serious?" I asked, looking from his bedroom back into his shining eyes.

"Yes. Deadly serious" He held my gaze for a moment until a cheeky grin appeared on his face.

I looked down at my body to find that my right leg that was pressed up against his was totally exposed. The dark purple material of my dress had now split to the point where you could almost see my underwear. I whined and manoeuvred myself on the couch so that I was curled up on my side, facing Edward. It made me even closer to him, but at least my exposed skin was hidden.

"That's not really helping..." He moaned softly as he examined my new position.

I shrugged my shoulders and felt my heart rate increase as he dropped the bundle of ice and wrapped his arm around my waist. The bruise on his face had already begun to lose some of its angry colouring, and I was glad to see the swelling had gone down to normal. Edward was _indescribably_ gorgeous! If there were such thing as the perfect man... I was certainly staring at him right now.

His soft, velvety voice suddenly broke me out of my daydream. "Bella, you truly are _so_ beautiful"

I giggled quietly as I looked down from his face. "I was just thinking the same thing about _you_!" I admitted out loud. _Whoops_. That was supposed to be kept silent…

But before I had the chance to say anything to cover my tracks, Edward reached out his hand and placed his fingers underneath my chin. He gently moved my head upward so that we were staring into one another's eyes. My lips were aching to taste his, but I was too frozen to make the first move. Please, oh please Edward! _Kiss me_! I wanted to scream.

"May I?" He whispered in a gentlemanly fashion.

I nodded furiously and within a split second he granted my wish and placed his soft, warm lips upon mine. My stomach filled with butterflies as I moved my hand to caress the side of his head, weaving my fingers through his thick bronze hair. He tasted so sweet, it was pure bliss. My lips moved in sync with his as we slowly melted into one another. I've never felt so desired in all my life…

"Bella" He breathed my name against my lips as we slowly came to a stop.

Even though it seemed way too short, it was perfect for our first kiss. I smiled against his lips and kissed him one last time before moving back to regain my steady breathing.

Edward kept his eyes closed and breathed in my scent. "You are _far_ to intoxicating"

I couldn't help but giggle and moved in to kiss him on the nose. "And you're _far _to irresistible"

"Hmm… I think you should change out of that dress before I get too carried away" He spoke in a deep husky voice.

I understood where he was going and I nodded timidly. We entangled ourselves from each other's arms and I got up, grasping at the side of my dress.

"I'll be back!" I sang out in a cheerful voice as I made my way into his bedroom.

So this is what it feels like to be totally in love with the man of your dreams... I thought happily to myself.


	14. Chapter 14

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I took a deep breath and proceeded to slowly exhale as my eyes wandered around the interior of Edward's bedroom. To be honest, I couldn't believe I was actually standing in the middle of it! I felt a little giddy and nervous at the same time when my eyes took in the sight of his spacious double bed. It practically took up all the space in the room! My cheeks started to heat up at the thought of him sleeping in it. I shook my head to get the images out and turned around to open up his wardrobe. He had a lot of expensive looking clothes in there, and it took me a while to find something casual.

Eventually I pulled out a plain black t-shirt and grey sweat pants. After I had slipped out of my dress, being careful not to rip it any further, I pulled Edwards t-shirt over my head. The sweet masculine scent of him suddenly filled my nostrils, and I happily breathed it in. I looked down and laughed. His shirt was long enough on me to be a dress!

"Bella, are you alright in there?" I heard Edward's voice call out.

"Yep, everything's fine!" I tried to muffle my laugher.

Lucky the sweat pants had a drawstring, and I tied it tightly around my waist to hold them in place. The legs were so long that I had to roll the hem up a couple of times so that I wouldn't trip over the material. When I reluctantly exited the room, Edward looked up from where he was seated and let his eyes wander over my new attire.

I wrinkled my nose as I looked down at myself. "I must look totally ridiculous" I murmured.

"On the contrary…" His voice sounded husky. He cleared his throat before adding with a smile. "I think you look great. It suits you"

I couldn't help but scoff at his response as I made my way over to the couch to sit next to him. It was at that moment that I noticed while I was gone he had taken his other shoe off.

"So how are you feeling?" I asked, staring down at his bare foot. It looked fine from what I could see.

"I feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world" He responded instantly, catching me by surprise.

My eyebrows shot up and I turned my head to carefully study his facial features. "Why would you say that?"

He smiled warmly at me and reached over to tuck some loose strands of hair behind my ear. "Because I have the most beautiful young lady I've ever seen right here in my apartment… wearing _my _clothes"

"Um, thanks" I couldn't help but strongly blush at his comment. "But I was ah… wondering about your foot"

He chuckled and lifted his leg up to give me a closer inspection. "I told you before. I'm fine. See, no swelling at all"

"Good. Well, I'm glad you're alright"

"I'm _more _than alright" He insisted.

I smiled and somehow managed to work up enough courage to look at his perfectly sculptured face. "Thank goodness the colouring from your bruise has faded… it's not as noticeable now"

"Excellent. So I don't look _that _hideous anymore"

Even though I could sense his teasing tone, I gasped and lightly punched his upper arm. "Don't _ever_ say that! You look just as gorgeous as ever"

"Is that so?" A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his lips and he stared deep into my eyes.

I found my head nodding solemnly before I managed to break away from his intense gaze. He couldn't keep seeing me blush like this… It's so embarrassing.

Edward suddenly shifted forward on the couch and gently took hold of one of my hands. "Bella, there's something I'd like to show you"

I immediately felt curious vibes run through my entire body, and I sat upright on the couch to get closer to him. "_Ooh really_? What is it?"

He laughed at my sudden enthusiasm and pointed to the spare room behind me. "It's in there"

Edward was now able to walk, well limp, without my support but I still kept a firm grip on him regardless. As we approached the doorway, I noticed that there was a massive, shiny grand piano sitting in the centre of the dimly lit room.

"Oh, _wow_! Edward it's absolutely stunning!" I blurted out as I released my hand from his arm and rushed over to study the instrument up close. "That's right! I remember you told me last week that you were getting this delivered"

"Yep. Arrived a few days ago" He grinned from ear to ear as he limped over to flick on a lamp which brightened up the keys. "It was my grandfather's. He wasn't very good though, so he handed it down to my mother…"

I was quiet for a few seconds, being careful as to what I should say when it came to the delicate topic of his parents. "Was she any better at playing than you grandfather was?" I asked while peering over at him as I gradually circled the large piano.

Edward took a seat in front of the keys and slightly frowned. "Not really… But she loved listening to me play" He spoke the last few words softly.

I was now standing by his side, and reached out to lightly place my hand on his firm, masculine shoulder. "I don't blame her. You're very talented" I smiled as I remembered the first time that I heard his beautiful melody coming from the music room at school.

Edward's frown disappeared and he was now smiling up at me. "Would you like me to play you something that I've only just recently finished?"

"Really? That would be wonderful!" I clapped my hands like an excited little child would do.

He laughed at my crazy behaviour before scooting over to pat the empty space on the seat. I happily sat down next to him and glanced over at the sheet music which was propped up on the stand above the keys. My mouth suddenly dropped open and my eyes blinked a few times to make sure they were seeing correctly. There at the top of the page, written in his elegant handwriting was my name, 'Bella'.

"I wrote this for you" He whispered tenderly into my ear. "I consider it my best piece yet"

At that point, I'd forgotten how to breathe! I hadn't even heard him play it yet, but I felt a warm, tingly sensation jolt though my body like an electric current. "Edward, I -" I tried to put some words together but failed miserably. He waited patiently for me regather my thoughts and to start breathing properly. I inhaled quickly and then released the air straight away, trying once again to put the words together. "Edward, I can't believe you've written this… for _me_"

"Would you like to hear it?" He asked.

I turned to look him straight in the eyes and nodded frantically. "Please"

Edward and I stared deep into each other's eyes for a moment, before he turned to focus on the sheet music. I took another deep breath and sat in silence as his fingers began to gracefully move along the ivory keys. The sound he produced was so soothing and emotional, that it started to make my eyes water. I didn't want this lullaby to end, it was positively mesmerizing. But after a while, his fingers eventually stopped moving and the melody drifted softly into the air until it had vanished completely.

"Did you like it?" I heard him ask in a quiet and hopeful voice.

I turned my head to face him, and his eyes immediately widened in surprise.

"Bella, you're _crying_!" He lifted both of his hands to my cheeks and gently wiped away my flowing tears.

"It was so beautiful Edward. I _truly_ loved it" I gushed.

He swiftly embraced me in a hug and pulled me right up against his warm chest. I smiled against his shirt and breathed in his lovely scent while he slowly ran his fingers through my long wavy hair. "Thank you for inspiring me"

A muffed laugh escaped my lips. "I didn't do anything…"

"Bella..." Edward spoke my name in such a loving and caring way. He sighed happily against the top of my head. "I don't think you understand how much you mean to me"

I struggled against his tight embrace so that I could look into his dazzling green eyes. "Tell me… how much exactly?" I whispered as my eyes flickered from his eyes down to his soft pink lips.

"More than anything in this world" He responded sincerely before pressing his lips against mine.

My stomach instantly filled up with butterflies like it had the last time, but I quickly ignored them and passionately kissed him back. My arms wound their way around his neck while he effortlessly lifted me up onto his lap.

"Bella" Edward breathed my name in a deep husky voice and I almost lost my mind. He briefly stopped kissing me to ask "Do you feel the same way about me?"

"_Of course I do_!" I said quickly before leaning in to kiss him again. He smiled against my lips and was just starting to quicken the pace when I broke away and added. "I've _never_ felt this way about anyone before..." I spoke the words with complete honesty from the bottom of my heart.

"I feel the same way!" He said the words just as strong as I had spoken mine.

We quickly resumed we were had left off and continued kissing one another for a few minutes before a familiar tune suddenly rang out from the living room.

"Oh, _shoot._ That's my phone!" I groaned as I entangled myself from Edward's body. As I ran out of the room one of the ends of my, or should I say Edward's, pants rolled down and I tripped over it, stumbling to the floor with a thud. I cursed under my breath as the dry cuts from my knees throbbed a little.

"Are you alright?" I heard Edward's concerned voice call out from behind me as I quickly picked myself up off the ground.

"Yep, I'm cool" I ran the rest of the way over to the kitchen bench and pulled my phone out of my handbag. Before I opened it, I quickly checked who was calling. "_Charlie_!" I shrieked and panicked as I stared at Edward limping towards me.

"Just relax and tell him that you're in perfectly good hands" Edward grinned and casually leant against the back of the couch.

I ignored him and quickly answered before the call went to voicemail. "Hello"

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Bella?" Charlie's angry yet concerned voice rang in my ear.

"Err, no…" I said meekly.

"Its ten thirty! I thought you said you'd be home by nine." Charlie sounded rather pissed off.

"Sorry dad, time slipped away from me -"

"Where _are_ you? Why is it so quiet in the background?"

"Oh, um… I left the party a while ago and went back to a friend's house" I said truthfully.

"Which friend?" He enquired roughly.

This caught me off guard and my eyes flew up to meet Edward's curious expression. "Angela" I lied to my dad. I couldn't very well tell him the truth now could I? He would freak out if he knew I was alone in an apartment with a guy… who I liked... a lot.

"Oh, ok. Well it's getting quite late Bells, how about I drive around and pick you up -"

"Pick me up? You _can't_!" I interrupted quickly, shooting Edward a pleading look and begging him to help me out in some way.

Charlie hesitated for a moment, thankfully giving me some time to think. Meanwhile Edward seemed to have suddenly thought of an idea.

"Sleepover" He mouthed to me, looking quite serious as he said it.

"_What_?!" I silently mouthed back in complete and utter shock.

Charlie's voice suddenly snapped me back to the phone "Bella? What's wrong? Why don't you want me to pick you up?"

"Nothings wrong dad! It's just, well…" I glanced back at Edward who was waiting expectantly. He nodded for me to go ahead and say it. "Well, Angela has already asked me to sleepover tonight…" I finished, taking my eyes off Edward and concentrated on the kitchen bench instead.

"Oh" I heard Charlie speak softly. "Is that ok with her parents though?"

"Yeah, of course it's ok with them" I sounded believable enough that he accepted my lie and wished me a good night. I thanked him and wished him a good night as well. After I had snapped my phone shut, I stuffed it back in my bag and spun around to stare at Edward.

"What on _earth _just happened there?" I asked him, feeling totally bewildered.

Edward's grin was as wide as I think I've ever seen it. He casually sauntered over to me and gently stroked my arm. "I believe that you just told your father that you'll be spending the night here with me"

I blinked a few times before slowly nodding when the words finally sank in. I gulped and whispered to him. "I believe that is correct…"

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**Hey guys! I apologize if it's bugging anyone about the time it takes for me to update. I'm doing the best that I can with the time that I have! lol. I want to give a huge thank you to all my reviewers! You guys are so positive and it gives me the motivation to keep writing. **

**Thank you xoxox**


	15. Chapter 15

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"I feel terrible that you had to lie to your father like that…" Edward spoke softly as he followed me back around to sit on the couch.

"Hmm. Don't worry about it" I said as I lifelessly flopped down and brought my legs up to cross them. "He knows that I'm safe and that's the main thing"

"Yeah. I suppose you're right" Edward agreed and smiled warmly.

I kept my legs crossed and spun around so that I was now facing him. "So… Sleepover eh? Was that _really_ a spur of the moment idea, or was it something you had in your mind all along?"

His eyebrows immediately shot up and I smiled brightly as his cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. He quickly averted his eyes away from me and coughed a few times to clear his throat. "I thought it was the best solution, you know? It worked pretty good don't you think? Charlie's happy knowing your safe…"

"You're not answering my question" I interrupted, poking him a couple of times in the arm.

Edward sighed heavily as he rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Ok, maybe the thought had crossed through my mind earlier on…"

I couldn't contain the smirk that quickly appeared on my face. "Therefore when I was put in that situation with Charlie, you knew I'd have to say yes"

Edward ran one of his large hands though his hair while I watched on in amusement as he struggled for words. "Well, I hoped that you would. But enough of these questions, how about we relax and put a movie on?"

I nodded in agreement and Edward sunk back into the couch, happy that I was done with the interrogation. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"I've got a rather decent collection down in the drawer under the TV. Feel free to pick whatever you like, while I'll go and get us some snacks."

"Sounds good to me" I grinned, hopping off the couch to go and check out his DVDs. I randomly flicked through them, scanning the titles as I searched for something interesting. Suddenly I gasped as my eyes landed on the perfect movie.

"Found something you like?" Edward called out from within the kitchen.

"I certainly have!" I grinned like an idiot as I took the disc out of the case and placed it into the DVD machine.

When I stood up and turned around, Edward had moved a small coffee table in front of the couch and was now placing a bowl of chips and two cans of coke down onto it. He looked up and found me hiding the DVD case behind my back.

"Which movie have you chosen?"

"Ah, you'll find out soon enough" I laughed at his worried facial expression as I bounced onto the couch. "It's _your_ DVD so you must like it"

"True" He replied as he took a seat beside me and reached for the remote.

"Chippies!" I said excitedly as I reached forward and grabbed a handful out of the plastic bowl. While I was leaning forward, Edward had a go at trying to snatch the DVD that I had hidden up the back of my shirt. "_Edward_!" I shrieked as a felt his warm fingers touching the bare skin of my back. I quickly grabbed the DVD with my spare hand and sat back, trapping his hand in place. "Where's your manners"

"Where's my DVD case?" He retorted, yanking his hand out from behind me.

I smirked and threw a chip at him. "You just can't feel me up whenever you feel like it, you know" I said jokingly.

"Oh? Well you shouldn't be stealing my stuff and throwing food at me"

"It was one chip!" I scoffed while leaning over the arm rest to place the DVD case on the floor out of Edward's sight.

When I sat back upright, I was instantly bombarded with a large handful of chips. After they'd hit me I slowly opened my eyes and glared over at the smug looking guy next to me. He started full-heartedly laughing at me, so I rudely stuck my tongue out at him. "Stop laughing or I'll throw the whole bowl over you!" I threatened.

"Shhh, the movie is about to start" Edward got off the couch and went over to turn the lights off.

It was at that moment that I realised he was moving around quite comfortably on his injured foot. "Hey, you're hardly limping anymore. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah" I saw his bright white teeth shine from the light projecting off the TV screen as he came back to sit down. "I told you that it would heal on its own"

I rolled my eyes, grabbed a stray chip off my shirt and chucked it at his head.

"Now don't start that again!" He pointed a warning finger in my direction before reaching out to grab a chip that had previously landed in my hair.

"I'm going to wake up and find one of those in some random place you know" I shuffled on the couch to get comfortable and focused my eyes on the screen in front of us.

It looked as though he was about to say some rude remark or something, but thankfully for him, he held it back and chuckled instead. The opening credits started to roll and Edward immediately sighed in acknowledgment. "Ghost…"

"What?" I looked at him in disbelief. "You don't like it?"

"No, no it's not that at all. I think it's a good choice"

I smiled and turned back to stare at the screen. "Good, because Patrick Swayze is awesome!"

As we sat in silence enjoying the movie, I couldn't help but notice that every now and then Edward would glance over at me. Was he making sure I was still awake? I wasn't sure what the reason was. As the night went on, it had started to rain outside and I suddenly felt a little chilly. Edward had noticed and instinctively wrapped his arm around my shoulders, holding me against his warm body. I smiled happily and rested my head in the crook of his neck.

* * *

"Hey... what are you doing?" I mumbled incoherently as I slowly rubbed my eyes. Somehow I was cradled in Edward's arms and was being carried off somewhere.

I felt the vibrations travel though Edward's chest as he chuckled at my drowsy state. "You fell asleep near the end of the movie. I'm taking you to my room. You can have my bed for the night… I'll sleep on the couch"

My eyes suddenly popped wide open as he pulled back the covers on his spacious double bed and placed me down on the mattress. "What? _No_!" I winced as my voice sounded terribly hoarse.

"Bella, close your eyes and go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning" He started to pull the covers over my body but I protested and pushed them away.

"No" I repeated, grateful that my voice was back to normal again. "I can't let you do that!"

Edward watched me curiously as I hopped out of bed and stood in front of him. He furrowed his brows and placed both hands on his hips in serious manner. "I'm not going to argue with you Miss Swan. You're my guest, and I want to make your stay here as comfortable as possible -"

"I'd be _more_ comfortable on the couch" I hastily interrupted.

He scoffed and looked down at me like I was completely insane. Even though I could easily tell that he wasn't about to give in anytime soon, I stood my ground.

"I'm not letting you give up your bed for me"

"Why not?"

I sighed in annoyance and stepped around him to exit the room. Unfortunately Edward anticipated what I was doing and raced me to the couch. Damn his fast healing foot! He laid his body out face down across the length of the couch and pretended to instantly fall asleep.

I stared at his childish behaviour and frowned. "Come on Edward, _get up_!"

Then he started to fake snore! A frustrated groan escaped my mouth and I tried to grab his shirt to pull him off, but he clung tightly to the couch. Fine. Clearly I'm never going to move him… So maybe I'll have to try another tactic. I placed both of my hands on his shoulders and lifted my right leg over his body so that I was straddling his back. A huge grin spread across my face when I felt his body tense underneath mine.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" I said in a pleasant tone.

Edward was silent for a moment. He was either still pretending to be asleep, or struggling for the right words to say. I let my eyes run over the contours of his back, up to his perfect dishevelled looking hair. Hmm, maybe I could just let my fingers run through it for just a few seconds…

"Fine, you win!" He suddenly blurted out.

"Huh?" I snapped back to reality when I heard the sound of his voice.

Edward suddenly turned his body to the side, grabbed me by the waist and slightly lifted me up so that he could roll onto his back. I stared blankly at him as he continued to place me down onto his stomach. Ok, this was kind of awkward. My cheeks instantly heated up and I gently bit down on my lower lip in embarrassment.

"You win Bella" He repeated, smiling brightly up at me. "If you want the couch so badly, you can have it"

"Really?" I asked rather sceptically.

"Yes… but on one condition"

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms firmly across my chest. "What?"

Edward suddenly reached up and gently unfolded my arms. He then continued to slowly run his hands up to my shoulders and suddenly stopped. We stared into one another's eyes for a brief moment before he spoke softly in his seductive voice "Kiss me"

I swallowed a dry lump that had formed in my throat. "Hmm, I don't know about that…" I teased him.

"Alright, then I win" Edward smiled and took his hands away from me and tucked them casually behind his head. He stared at my stunned expression for a few seconds before trying to sound serious. "What are you waiting for? My room is that way"

Without hesitating a second longer, I leant forward and hovered my body over his chest. "I never said that I _wasn't_ going to kiss you Edward Cullen" And before he got the chance to even blink, I grabbed his face firmly within my hands and kissed his soft heavenly lips.

He was slightly stunned at first, but it didn't take long for him to quickly respond to my actions. His arms wrapped around my waist and gently pulled my body down on top of him. I smiled against his lips and moved my hands up to run them though his thick bronze hair. Kissing Edward was truly indescribable! Words wouldn't be able to justify how elated I felt as my heart fluttered wildly in my chest. Somehow I had rolled my way over to the side, and was now pinned between Edward's body and the soft material of the couch. He took this opportunity to wrap one of his legs over mine.

As much as I was seriously in heaven right now... I knew that I had to make my move soon or later. Edward was now right on the edge of the couch and with as much force that I could muster, I pushed him off. He vanished from my sight and landed on the floor with a loud thump. Breathing heavily, I grabbed onto the edge and peered over at his totally stunned face.

"I win!" I breathed.

Edward lay there in defeat and shook his head in utter disbelief.

"What are you waiting for? Your room is that way" I snickered as I repeated his previous sentence back to him.

"I'll get you a pillow and some spare blankets" He muttered as he got up off the floor and headed for the bedroom.

"Thank you!" I sang out cheerfully.

He returned shortly after with a pillow, which he playfully chucked at me and some warm blankets. I tried to ignore him as he stood there watching me while I made myself comfortable. Of course I regretted ending the kiss with Edward like that, but it was the only way I could get him off the couch.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" He asked in a serious tone.

I happily closed my eyes and nodded my head. "Goodnight Edward"

He sighed heavily before having a quiet chuckle. "Goodnight Bella, sweet dreams"

I mumbled a weak sounding 'you too' and slowly felt my body drifting off into slumber.

* * *

I'm not sure how long I had been out for, but a loud clap of thunder suddenly jolted me from my peaceful sleep. I sat upright and waited for my eyes to focus on my surroundings. It was still dark, and I had no idea what time it was but I suddenly felt the urge to use the bathroom. I pushed the blankets off me and slowly got up off the couch. I jumped once at the violent sound of the thunder while I made my way across the room. As I got closer, I wondered if Edward was still fast asleep or not. I ignored the urge to peek into his room and proceeded into the bathroom.

While I tiredly walked back to my makeshift bed, something dark on the ceiling caught my attention. I moved closer, thinking it was simply a smoke alarm or something. But as the lightning from outside lit up the room, I saw _exactly_ what it was! My hand shot up and firmly covered my mouth to stop the scream that itched to be released. There, up on the ceiling above the couch was a huge, black spider! I groaned and quickly looked away from the hideous creature as my body shivered at the thought of it landing on my while I slept. Now what am I suppose to do? Taking a quick glance around the room, I couldn't see anything that would be long enough to reach it. And even if I did manage to whack it off, it would probably run underneath the couch.

Then I turned to face Edward's bedroom. Perhaps I should wake him up and he could take care of it… I crept forward until I was right outside his room and timidly peered around the doorframe. He was sleeping on one side of the double bed and his bare feet were poking out from under the covers. His steady breathing indicated that he was fast asleep. As I stood by the doorway thinking of what I should do, a second idea suddenly popped into my head… Hmm, I wonder what he would think if I actually got into bed with him? There was plenty of room… and I would be well and truly away from that horrible black spider. My feet instinctively started pacing towards the empty side of the bed as if they had made up my mind for me. But I stopped on the spot when I got a closer look at Edward. He was _shirtless_! My heart started racing a million miles per hour. Not only because he was shirtless, but what if he was actually completely _naked_ under those covers!

_Oh good God_!

After forcing my heart rate to calm down by taking a few deep breaths, I tip-toed around to the bottom of the bed and decided to peek under the covers to see if I could see the ends of his pants. To my relief, yes he _was_ wearing pants. I gently bit my lower lip as I then proceeded to make my way back around to the side of the bed. This feels so wrong, I thought to myself… But surely he wouldn't mind.

The sound of heavy rain pelting down outside was somewhat soothing. I ignored the thunder, blocked out the thoughts of the spider, closed my eyes and smiled as I listened to Edward's steady breathing. Hopefully I won't regret this decision in the morning…


	16. Chapter 16

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****A few of you were wondering if I'd write from Edward's point of view and I finally decided that this would be the perfect chapter for it. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers! xoxox**

**(Edward's POV)**

The warmth of the sun's rays shone brightly through the gap in the curtains. I gradually opened my eyes, quietly yawed and stretched out my legs. I remained lying on my side and blinked a few times as my eyes finally adjusted to the natural light. A small smile appeared on my face as the dream I had last night suddenly popped into my mind. I remembered that it was a cold, stormy night and I was startled by movement beside me in the bed. Then the images of the beautiful brunette flashed before my eyes… _Bella_.

I sighed as I imagined her sleeping peacefully out in the living room. But then I frowned at the fact that I was thinking about wanting Bella in my bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I yawed once again and rolled onto my other side. That's when I got the surprise of my life! I gasped loudly and instantly covered my mouth with one of my hands. There she was… fast asleep – in _my_ _bed_! My heart skipped a beat or two and I pinched myself to make sure that I wasn't still dreaming. _Ouch_! Nope, I certainly wasn't dreaming… it was real. A huge smile spread across my face as I watched her quietly breath in and out.

She looked like an angel.

A few strands of her soft brown hair were hanging down over her cheek, so I carefully reached out and gently pushed them away from her face. She murmured and I quickly retracted my arm and held onto my breath, hoping that I hadn't woken her.

"Edward…"

I stared at her face as she suddenly whispered my name. She didn't appear to be awake. Maybe she was talking in her sleep.

"Edward -" She repeated my name, but this time it sounded more urgent. "It's _huge_!"

My mouth dropped open from hearing her choice of words. What on _earth_ was she dreaming about? I shut my eyes and forced the dirty thoughts out of my head. When I opened them again, I noticed that her eyelids had started to flicker. I casually propped my head up with my hand and rested my elbow on the pillow, grinning widely as I wondered what her reaction would be. Her lovely brown eyes slowly opened at last and I waited patiently for her to take in her surroundings. A split second had passed and then she flung her eyes wide open in shock as she took in the sight of me grinning at her. She gave a little scream and pulled the covers abruptly over her head.

"Good morning to you too!" I chuckled softly in amusement while listening to her erratic breathing.

"Please don't be mad at me" Her voice was strongly muffled from the thick covers but I still heard it.

I gazed down at her lump under the covers in a confused expression. "Why would I possibly be mad at you?"

Bella sighed deeply in relief and then slowly poked her head out to look at me. I smiled genuinely at her and she gave me an embarrassed shy smile in return.

"What were you thinking when you woke up and saw me here?" She asked quietly.

"I thought I was dreaming" I admitted truthfully and then let out a brief chuckle.

She eased up a little and laughed back at me "In a good way?"

"Of course! However I'm rather curious about your explanation for all this… The couch was uncomfortable was it?"

"_No_!" She blurted out. Her face turned quite serious all of a sudden. "The couch was _fine_ Edward. It wasn't that! I -"

"Got lonely and wanted to hop into bed with me?" I interrupted, teasing her. She punched me lightly on my bare shoulder and laughed when I pretended that it actually hurt.

"Do you want me to explain or not?" She pouted her lips.

"Well, I quite like my explanation so why don't we stick with it?" I suggested while enjoying that fact she was growing even more embarrassed.

"_Edward_!"

"Alright I'm sorry. Go ahead, I'm listening" I composed myself and waited patiently for her to proceed.

Bella then took a deep breath, rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. "Ok, so I was peacefully sleeping on the _comfortable _couch when the violent storm woke me up in the middle of the night…"

"There _was _a storm last night?" I interrupted, thinking back to how there had also been a storm in my dream.

"Yes. I can't believe it didn't wake you up. Anyway, after I had come back from the bathroom that's when I saw it" She paused for a moment and shuddered.

I raised one of my eyebrows. "Saw what?"

"This _really_ huge, black, hairy, disgusting spider that was staring at me with its creepy little beady eyes" She ducked under the covers again and squirmed around.

"A _spider_… Is that what bothered you?" I let it out and laughed full heartedly.

"Shut _up_!" She whined, turning to face me. "It was _huge_!"

When she spoke those last words, it suddenly made sense what she had said earlier on when she was sleep talking. "Ohhh… So that's what you were dreaming about this morning"

"Pft. It was more like a complete _nightmare_! Wait – how do you know that I had a dream?"

"Um, you were kind of talking in your sleep a few minutes ago" I admitted, smiling when her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink and she suddenly avoided my gaze. "Oh, err… Well what did I say?"

My smile grew into a cheeky smirk and I couldn't help but give her an extended version of the truth. "Well first of all you said my name a few times" I was going to crack up laughing if I watched her facial expression any longer, so I shifted onto my back and stared up at the ceiling and continued. "Then you admitted that you thought I was good looking and rambled on about all the things you wanted to do to me…" I decided to stop after that. I think I was taking this a bit far. When I turned my head to glance in her direction, she appeared to be absolutely mortified.

"Bella, I'm joking"

Her face remained shocked until my words slowly sunk into her head. Then she spoke so quickly that I had trouble understanding. "Are you seriously joking? You had better be joking; otherwise I'm getting out of here right now -"

"Ssssh" I cut her off by placing my index finger over her soft delicate lips. "Calm down, it's alright. You didn't say anything embarrassing I promise"

She nodded and flopped down onto the pillow once I had taken my finger away. "Geez, it's too early in the morning to be freaking me out like that Edward"

"I'm sorry" I let my eyes scan over her face when she closed her eyes. My god, I could never get over the fact that she's so beautiful. "How about you rest for a little longer and I'll go make us some breakfast"

As I sat up and turned my back to her, I could sense that her eyes were fixated me. I turned my upper body around to check if my assumptions were correct. Yep, Bella was staring. Staring at my… chest? Her chocolate coloured eyes looked as if they were about to pop right out of their sockets.

"Um, is everything alright?" I asked, watching as she snapped out of her trance in a matter of seconds.

"Y-yeah you're perfect – I mean I'm perfect… Everything's fine!" She coughed a few times to clear her throat.

I couldn't hold back a huge grin as I realised that my naked torso was making her nervous. She was biting her lower lip making her look so adorable.

"What? You've never seen a guy with his shirt off before?"

"Of course I have! It's just, well…" Bella trailed off and I gave her a look that urged her to continue. She sighed in defeat and picked at some lint on the bed sheet. "Listen, I'm sure all of your past girlfriends have told you this before so I really don't think I need to tell you that you look amazing"

To say I was stunned was definitely an understatement! "Past girlfriends?" I questioned in a tone that made her raise both of her eyebrows in a confused way. "I've never actually _had_ a girlfriend let alone multiple"

She continued to stare at me before managing to speak. "You can't be serious…"

"I am serious. Music is what I devoted myself to. And to tell you the truth, I'd never met anyone worth the time anyway... until now" I grinned at her stunned expression and then continued "What would make you think that I've had a lot of girlfriends anyway?"

"_Look_ at you!" Bella blurted out while pointing her hand out and waving it towards my body.

"Look at _you_!" I retorted quickly. "One could only assume that you've had a few boyfriends of your own"

She immediately scoffed and laughed at my comment. "Yeah right!"

Now it was my turn to question her with a surprised look. "Mike Newton?"

"_Eww_! Ok, so I've had some admirers… But I've never dated any of them"

"Why not?"

"Because I've never felt a connection with any of them like the way I feel with y-" She paused for a moment to check my reaction. I smiled, waiting for her to properly finish the sentence. She ran her hand through her long messy bed hair before looking me straight in the eyes. "Like the way I feel with you" She finally breathed.

Before I had registered what I was doing, I moved my entire body back onto the bed and shuffled over to her side. I cupped her face gently within my hands and told her sincerely. "Bella, meeting you has been the best thing that has ever happened to me"

"Really?" She whispered. Her eyes were becoming moist, almost like she was about to cry.

"You have no idea" I reassured her and kissed her softly on the forehead. "I finally have a reason to move on…"

We remained quiet for a moment, neither of us knowing what to say next. Bella ran her hand down my arm in a comforting way and finally broke the silence by whispering my name. I gazed down at her and waited for her to say something else, but instead of talking she pressed her body up against mine and embraced me in a hug.

"I'm so sorry" She whispered into my chest.

I sighed and rubbed my fingers in circle motions across her back. "You don't need to be sorry. It's in the past now… I'm over it"

"Are you?" Bella questioned, pulling her head back so she could see my face.

"What do you mean? I fine" I tried to sound convincing but I don't think that she believed me.

"I think you're still grieving Edward… If you don't mind me asking, how long has it been?"

I closed my eyes and lowered my voice to a whisper. "Two months"

She didn't say anything for a while and when I finally opened my eyes, I noticed that I had unknowingly pulled her tighter against my body. My arms instantly loosened from around her body and I moved so I was in an upright position. Bella immediately copied my actions and sat up beside me.

"You know if you ever want to talk about it… I'm here for you"

"It would only disturb you" I murmured narrowing my eyes in concern.

"I'm sure I can handle it… But of course you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to"

"Is Charlie expecting you home anytime soon?" I suddenly enquired, turning to look at her caught of guard expression.

"Oh, um… Not really. He's going fishing today and he normally doesn't come home until later in the afternoon"

I gave her a small smile, but it quickly turned into a frown. "So do you really want to know what happened?"

She nodded slowly in response. I stared at her face for a few seconds before I hopped out of bed and walked towards my wardrobe. After pulling out a clean set of clothes for myself, I pulled out a jacket and chucked it on the end of the bed. I turned to find Bella sitting in the same spot, giving me a puzzled look.

"We're heading out. You might want to put that on" I motioned to the black jacket and walked off to the bathroom. When I came out fully dressed, I entered the lounge room to find her gathering her belongings and stuffing her damaged dress into her handbag.

"I promise I'll buy you a new one"

Bella turned on the spot to face me and raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows in a confused way. She looked positively adorable.

"I beg your pardon?"

"A new dress" I clarified, watching her shake her head in disapproval.

"No, no, no. You don't need to do that. It was my fault and besides, I don't really need to have a dress like this one. I'm much more comfortable in normal clothes"

She blushed ever so slightly, however I noticed and couldn't help but smile when she turned to try and hide it. I let the topic slide for now, but I filed the idea away in my mind for later.

"So, you haven't told me where we're going yet"

I snapped out of my thoughts and walked passed her to reach for my car keys that were sitting on the kitchen bench. "How does French toast and coffee sound to you?"

"That sounds wonderful. I'm absolutely starving!" She smiled and patted her stomach before glancing down at her attire. "But there's only one problem… I really don't want to be seen out in public like this"

"I happen to think you look fantastic!" I told her truthfully. She scoffed at my remark and playfully slapped my chest when I walked closer to her.

"You might think so, but I'm sure I'll receive a few odd looks from other girls"

I shrugged my shoulders and walked over to unlock the front door. "Bella, it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks. But to be honest I was planning on getting breakfast and taking it somewhere more secluded…"

She seemed pleased with my idea and strolled happily out into the corridor. I followed her out and took a deep breath as I locked the door behind me. This was it… I was finally going to get what I wanted off my chest for good. Hopefully this was the right thing to do. Bella has the right to know what was – is eating away at my insides…


	17. Chapter 17

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**I know that it has been ages since I've updated and I really**** apologize guys****!! Blame it on lack of time and a little bit of writer's block… Please forgive me for leaving you in suspense! Anyways, I've come up with some sweet ideas so I hope you'll all enjoy it! **

**(BPOV)**

After stopping to grab some French toast and hot coffee, we drove along a narrow winding road until we eventually reached a dead end. I gazed out the front window for a few seconds and took in our surroundings before I shifted in my seat to face Edward. He slowly brought the car to a stop and turned his head to find a confused expression on my face.

"What?" He questioned with a hint of a smirk playing at his lips.

I blinked a few times before turning to check out the front window once again. "I um – I know you wanted to go somewhere secluded… But this place is kind of creepy"

Edward shook his head in disagreement and chuckled as he reached for the cups of coffee that I was holding in my lap. "I'd never take you anywhere creepy Bella. Now come on, I want to show you something"

I raised both of my eyebrows and watched as he stepped out of the car and waited for me to follow after him.

"I'd open the door for you but I kind of have my hands full" He called out, holding up the coffee cups as proof.

I sighed and opened up the passenger door to get out. "I can't imagine what could possibly be so fascinating out here… Oh, wait! Is it that pine tree over there?" I couldn't stop the sarcasm from escaping my mouth. "Or is it one of the fifty thousand other trees that are currently surrounding us?"

Edward rolled his eyes at my remark and sighed. "I didn't bring you out here just so we could stare at the trees, Bella"

"Well then, what _are_ we doing?"

"Follow me" He instructed, turning his back to me as he walked over to a cleverly concealed path. I looked at the narrow path with uncertainty and he stopped when he noticed I wasn't following. "What's wrong now?"

"I'm not going in there… Can't we go somewhere else?"

Edward seemed a little hurt at my lack of enthusiasm. "You trust me don't you?" He asked softly.

"Of course I do!" I responded rather quickly.

He instantly smiled brightly and walked over to where I was standing. "Then please trust me on this"

I nodded in defeat and followed close behind him as we made our way along the dirt path. Surprisingly it didn't take too long before we reached a grassy clearing. I stopped in my tracks and gasped in delight when I realised that you could see the ocean from up all he way up here.

"Oh Edward, this is _amazing_!" I ran over near the edge and let my eyes roam over the sparkling ocean below.

"See, now this is better than pine trees isn't it?" Edward was suddenly standing beside me.

I laughed as I took my coffee from him and sat down on the grass to admire the view. Although to be honest, I'm not sure that the ocean was the _best_ view up here… I smiled over at Edward as he took a seat beside me and casually stretched his legs out.

"We've got to get a photo of this!" I said enthusiastically as I started to rummage through my bag searching for my phone. When I finally found it, I activated the camera and shuffled around so that the ocean view was behind me.

"Would you like me to take it for you?" Edward's words made me scoff.

"What? No! Get over here in the shot with me silly" I patted the ground next to me and quickly pushed a few strands of hair away from my eyes.

Edward moved himself right over until our shoulders were touching and then wrapped one of his arms around me. I smiled brightly, leant even closer to him until my cheek was pressed up against his and raised the camera phone out in front of us.

"Ready? _Smile_" I sang out and waited for the click. "Alright! That's going to be a great one!"

Edward chuckled and left his arm around me as I turned the phone around so we could see how the photo turned out.

"Awe, look at that. It's perfect!" I gushed while staring at Edward's magnificent smiling features.

"Beautiful" He agreed before turning his gaze on to me.

I gently bit down on my lower lip, trying my best to act like his close proximity wasn't affecting me. But it was… _Big time_! My head involuntarily tilted up in his direction and instead of seeing him smiling his lovely smile as I had expected, he was frowning and seemed to be contemplating something.

"Is everything ok?" I asked softly, feeling disappointed when he slowly moved his arm off me.

He inhaled deeply before letting out a gush of air. I watched silently as he turned around and let his eyes gaze out at the horizon. "Bella…"

"Yes?" The word came out quickly as I stared anxiously up at his face. Edward remained silent for what seemed like eternity.

He took another deep breath and scanned my face briefly before looking out to the horizon once again. "You're right about what you said earlier… I'm still grieving"

I blinked a few times, finally remembering this is why he had brought me out here in the first place. "It happened only two months ago Edward. It's normal to still be upset"

He remained silent as his fingers played nervously with one of his shoelaces. "I – I want to tell you what happened… You know, maybe it would make a world of difference if I opened up and got it off my chest"

"Ok" I whispered.

Edward ran both of his large masculine hands through his wind blown hair before swallowing hard. I sat there, patiently waiting for him to compose himself.

"My parents loved to hike…" He started, directing his eyes on the grass in front of him. "They loved it so much that every month they would set off for a week, pack up their camping gear and head off on what they thought was some sort of new adventure. I joined them on the odd occasion… But the older I got, the more I lost interest" Edward stopped talking for a moment to flick an ant off his leg. "Nothing would stop them from going… Not even bad weather bothered them. Anyway, on the night I last saw my parents, it was snowing outside and I remember telling them that I thought they should postpone the trip for a few days until the weather had passed. My father simply laughed and said Son, a little bit of snow never hurt anyone. It was two days into their trip when the weather had changed and that 'little bit of snow' turned into a full blown blizzard".

I couldn't help but gasp in shock. He paused to look at me, and I suddenly felt the need to say something. "So what did you do? Did you call the emergency rescue service?"

Edward shifted uncomfortably and furrowed his eyebrows. "Of course I did, but it was too late… No-one could predict there would be an Avalanche" The last word dripped with pure hatred. "There was no shelter from it…" He continued in a low, exhausted voice. "They were right in its path. And by the time the rescue team had found their bodies deep within the snow…" He gradually trailed off and lowered his head into his hands.

I immediately shuffled over, gently placed my hand on his shoulder in a comforting way and whispered "I'm so sorry Edward, I really am".

We sat in silence for a while, just listening to the wind blowing through the trees and the sound of the distant waves crashing against the rocks below. An hour or so must have passed before Edward finally spoke up.

"I'd better drive you home before your father gets back"

Instantly, I found my head shaking in disagreement. "No, that's not important. I want to stay here with you"

Edward's hand reached out and took hold of mine. As he gently caressed it, he sighed and looked over the clothes I had borrowed from him. "Bella, I don't think that your father would approve of seeing you in mens clothing. If you go home now, you can get changed and he'll never know…"

"But I want to make sure that you'll be alright" I interrupted, squeezing my hand around his.

A small smile played at his lips. "I'll be fine Bella. Honestly, I think that I just need some time to myself now"

I frowned, but I understood that it was best for him to relax and get his mind around things. "Ok. But you know that you can call me anytime alright?"

He nodded quickly before helping me up on my feet. The drive home seemed to go way to fast. It was selfish of me, but I wanted more time with him. Edward had just opened up for the first time to anyone about his parent's tragic accident, and I wanted to simply hold him in my arms and never let him go. He said it himself. I was all he had in this world… And I wanted to save him.


	18. Chapter 18

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It's Monday morning and I'm really _not_ looking forward to going into school today. I have a terrible headache due to staying up for most of the night thinking about all the pain that Edward is going through. Not only that, but I was worried about how Jessica was going to react when she saw me. After the whole Edward/Jacob incident at her party, I was afraid that she'd blame me for ruining it or something.

I reluctantly pulled into the parking lot and sunk down low in my seat once I had turned off the ignition. My eyes closed for a minute and I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. All of a sudden someone tapped loudly on my front window and I flung my eyes open to find Mike smiling at me.

"Had a rough weekend eh?" He called out in his irritating voice.

I moaned in annoyance and grabbed my bag before slowly getting out of my truck. Why did this guy have to add to my problems? "It's not really any of your business" I finally answered his question as I walked past him in a hurry.

"Look, Bella I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry but after what happened at Jessica's party, are you still going out with that guy?"

I rolled my eyes and kept walking. _Is he for real_? Hopefully if I ignore him, he'll catch on and leave me alone.

Obviously not…

"Because if you are," He continued, quickening his pace to keep up with me. "I don't think that it's a very smart decision"

_That's it_! I've had enough! My head was still aching, and I've had enough of his stupid attempts to get me to go out with him "Is that so? Then what is a smart decision Mike? Going out with _you _instead?" It may have come out a little harsh, but he didn't seem to care.

Mike appeared deep in thought for a moment before looking me straight in the eyes. "Well actually…"

"Bella!" A high pitched voice called out, causing Mike to swear.

I didn't care who it was, I was just thankful that they stopped Mike from going any further. But when I turned around, I mentally cringed when I found Jessica bounding over towards us.

"Hey girl, how did everything go with Edward after you guys left my place on Saturday night?"

Ok she seemed happy enough. Maybe she wasn't pissed off at the whole party incident after all. "Oh, umm… fine"

"What do you mean 'fine'. I want _details_ Bella!" She promptly linked her arm around mine and started pulling me through the parking lot. "Like are you guys serious now? Have you been hanging out all weekend? Has he kissed you yet? What was it like?"

"Jessica -" Mike loudly interrupted from behind us. "Some of us don't want to know the answers to questions like that"

Jessica scoffed in response and slipped her arm out from mine so she could playfully slap him on the chest. "Don't be silly Mike, I bet she can't wait to spill. Isn't that right Bella?"

Both of them turned their attention onto me, waiting for me to say something as I stood there feeling really uncomfortable. As I racked my brain for something to say, I noticed that a certain silver Volvo had just pulled into a spot over to our right. I smiled politely to both Jessica and Mike. "Sorry, I've got to go. I'll see you both later ok?"

Jessica squealed in delight and Mike groaned once he caught on that I was leaving them to go over to Edward. Ignoring them the best I could, I made my way over to where Edward was closing the door to his Volvo.

"Hey you!" I called out happily once I was within a decent speaking range.

He turned around quickly and smiled once he saw that it was me. "Hey yourself!"

I stopped in front of him and immediately noticed that he was grimacing at something over my shoulder. I quickly glanced back and found Mike glaring daggers at us.

"Oh, don't mind him. He's just jealous that's all" My words came out sounding rather casual.

Edward's eyes finally left Mike and landed on me. That gorgeous crooked smile of his slowly appeared on his face. "I don't blame him"

I laughed just as the school bell decided to ring. "So how are you?" I spoke softly as we made our way to class. "I was up all night thinking about you…"

He looked down at me with one raised eyebrow and a cheeky grin.

"Edward, don't you dare come up with some egotistical remark! I'm being serious and you know what I meant" I glanced over at him and saw his playful expression disappear.

He was quiet for a while as we made our way through a small crowd of people and climbed the stairs to get to our English room. When we were alone again, I took another glance in his direction and watched him run a hand through his hair.

"I've spent a lot of time thinking about it… And now that I've told you what happened, I honestly feel like a huge load has been lifted off my shoulders" We stopped outside the classroom and he turned to face me. "You have no idea how much it means to me when I hear you say that you worry about me, but I'm fine now… I'd just like to put it in the past and move forward"

I nodded and gave him a quick hug, smiling as I breathed in his lovely distinct scent. However, the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted our moment and we quickly separated to find our teacher staring at us. I snickered quietly as Edward took hold of my hand and led me into the room. Mike's gaze instantly fell upon us once again, but I kept my head down and focused on the back of Edward's jacket.

It must have only been fifteen minutes into the lesson when someone knocked on the door. Our teacher stopped mid sentence and we all got a surprise when the principle stepped into the room. The bald headed principle said a few quiet words to our teacher before turning in to face the class.

"Edward Cullen, would you gather your belongings and come with me down to the front office right away"

My eyebrows shot up and I instantly spun around to face Edward. His face was as confused as mine as he slowly gathered his stuff together. I turned my head back to look at the principle and noticed that the whole class was facing our way.

"What on earth is going on?" I whispered quietly so only Edward could hear me.

"I'm not sure, but I'll be right back" Edward muttered quietly as he stood up.

I watched in silence as he made his way down the aisle, out of the room and out of my sight.

"Ok class, settle down" The teacher said before returning to the topic he was previously discussing.

My eyes remained wide open and I was in such a daze, that I hadn't noticed that Mike had crept over and taken Edward's vacant seat beside me.

"So what's up with Cullen?" He asked quietly, breaking me out of my confused state.

I shook my head and blinked a couple of times. "I have no idea… But I'm certain that he hasn't done anything wrong. Maybe it's got something to do with his timetable or something"

"Hmm. I have a feeling it's something a little more serious" Mike said as he looked over my shoulder.

"I beg your pardon?" I stared at him like he was a complete idiot.

All of a sudden, the horrible sound of chairs scraping on linoleum filled the room and the whole class rushed over to the windows. Mike jumped out of his seat as well and I quickly decided to follow after him. I reached the window just in time to see two police officers guiding Edward out of the school grounds. Everyone gasped and started chatting wildly among themselves about what they thought Edward was being dragged away for. Without thinking I grabbed my bag and ran as fast as I could out of the room and down the long corridor. I ran down the stairs three at a time, not even caring if I tripped.

When I eventually made it outside, in record time I must add, the principle was there and called out for me to stop. I ignored him and bolted down the path to where I saw the officers either side of Edward.

"_Edward_!" I yelled out as loud as I could. My voice sounded worn out from all the running I'd been doing.

After hearing my outburst, the two officers as well as Edward turned their heads around to look at me.

"Please, wait!" I called out but they turned their backs on me, dragged Edward towards the police car and quickly opened the door. One man put his hand on Edward's head and guided him into the back seat of the vehicle like he was a criminal or something.

I finally came up beside the police car and tried to get to the window to see him.

"Please step back Miss" One of the officers suddenly stepped in front of me, blocking my view.

"He hasn't done anything _wrong_! Where are you taking him?" I said frantically, moving my gaze onto the large man standing before me.

"Miss, this is a police matter. Now let us do our job"

"_No_!" I shouted at the officer, feeling the urge to push him out the way. "Not until you tell me what's going on"

The other police officer had already started up the engine and the man in front of me ignored me as he turned around to get into the passenger seat. I took this opportunity to run up to the back window. Edward was slumped forward on the seat with his head in his hands. My heart sank at the sight before me, but my fists wildly started thumping on the window, causing him to look up at me.

"Edward, it's going to be alright!" I desperately called through the glass. "I'm going to get my father to sort out this mistake"

He frowned at me for some reason and I couldn't help but notice that his eyes seemed to show that he thought my plan was useless. My stomach was churning on the inside, and I felt like I was going to be sick.

"You're innocent, right?" I choked the words out.

The vehicle suddenly beeped, and one of the officers yelled at me to step away from the car. I obliged and stood there helplessly as I watched Edward's face turn into an agonised expression.

My feet had remained frozen on the spot as the car drove quickly out sight. It wasn't until I heard the voice of someone approaching me from behind. I assumed that it was the principle but I couldn't mange to get the image of Edward's agonised face out of my mind.

"Miss Swan, I know it must be difficult seeing a fellow student being escorted off the premises, but I assure you that the school counsellor will be able available to help you through this"

I gulped and slowly turned to face the principle, eyeing his expression warily. "Do you know why they've taken him away?"

Instead of answering my question directly he informed me "He's going down to the station for questioning"

"Questioning?" I echoed dryly, starting to feel really annoyed. Why won't he give me some vital information? "_About what_? What did he do wrong?"

I could tell that the principle sensed that I was getting rather worked up about this when I noticed the change of tone in his voice. He was trying to calm me down. "I'm sorry Miss Swan, but I'm not aloud to disclose information about it. Now, how about we go and set up an appointment for you with the -"

"I don't _want _to see the counsellor!" I blurted out, causing him to step back in shock. "I'm going down to the station. My father will be there… He's the chief of police so maybe I'll get some answers from him" Without waiting for the principle to utter another word, I hastily ran off in the direction of my truck.

My headache had suddenly come back full blown.

**

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****There's never a dull moment with Edward in your life is there? Lol. **

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone! Pretty please keep them coming. Your feedback is very much appreciated! Thanks :) xoxox **


	19. Chapter 19

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After making my huge grand entrance into the police station, I was somewhat disappointed that no one was in the main foyer to actually witness it. I had stormed right up to the front doors and violently swung them open in unison whilst demanding "Someone had better tell me what's going on right now or else there will be hell to pay!" But like I said, the main foyer was empty.

Muffled voices could be heard coming from behind a door marked 'No unauthorised access'. Making my way over to the door, I stepped up on my tippy toes and curiously peered through a glass window. There was a long hallway with many rooms down each side. The furthest one down the end was slightly opened, and that was where the voices were coming from. My body shuddered at the thought of poor Edward being interrogated by my father.

_No unauthorised access my butt_! I thought to myself and I reached out to turn the door knob. Unfortunately it was locked. However, just at that moment, a young looking officer emerged from one of the side rooms holding a bunch of folders. I quickly tapped on the glass window, hoping to catch his attention. He looked up straight away and walked over to unlock the door.

"Can I help you?"

"_Yes_! Is Chief Swan back there?"

"Why do you ask?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily. "I'm his daughter and I really need to speak to him right away… It's an _emergency_!" I added for dramatic effect.

"Bella?" I suddenly heard Charlie's voice echo down the hallway. He walked swiftly towards me as the other officer stepped away and went back to his duties. "Why aren't you at school? Is everything alright?"

"No dad, everything is _not_ alright! I want to know why you're questioning Edward Cullen!"

Charlie seemed utterly confused as he knitted his eyebrows together. "I don't understand… Why is that any of your concern?"

"Look dad, Edward is a good person who's going through a rough time at the moment. But he's not the type of guy who would do anything to merit being dragged down to the station. So I'm begging you! Please just tell me what you're holding him for"

"Bella, I -" Charlie paused for a moment as he thought something over in his mind. "I don't like the way you're defending this Cullen boy… Bells, is there something going on that you're not telling me?"

My mouth opened to say something but no words would come out. Even though I was staring at the ground I could feel Charlie's eyes burning down on me, waiting for me to explain. Ok, so how do I say this without letting him know that I've seriously fallen head over heals for Edward and positively love everything about him? … I quietly cleared my throat and regained my composure.

"Edward and I are simply friends, dad. He's in a few of my classes and we have similar interests… Anyway like I said before, I'm just concerned about what you're holding him for... He's a good person"

Charlie eyed me for a minute. I knew he didn't buy it. And I knew he'd definitely sit me down and have a long talk about this later. I mentally cringed at the thought. Charlie doesn't trust any guy as far as I'm concerned.

"He's no good for you sweetheart…" He interrupted my thoughts, causing me to lift my eyes off the ground and scan over his face. What would he know? I scrunched my forehead and stared at him incredulously. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd better be heading back -"

"_Wait_! I want to see him!" I blurted out, frantically taking hold of my father's arm to stop him from leaving.

"No Bella. I'm afraid that's not possible right now" He sighed as he pried my hand off his jacket. "I want you to calm down and go back to school ok?"

"But _dad_ -"

"No buts!"

I let out a loud frustrated groan and stomped my foot in anger. Charlie ignored my little temper tantrum and promptly made his way back behind closed doors. How dare he leave without giving me an explanation! I folded my arms across my chest and made my way over to a row of chairs. Fine! If no one was going to tell me what was going on, I'll wait around until they're done interrogating Edward. He'd have to come out soon or later…

I must have been waiting for almost an hour, and let me tell you it was totally driving me crazy. Police officers were coming in and out, fiddling with folders and talking in low voices. My body was slumped forward in the chair as I rested my head in my hands. Suddenly the sound of the main doors disrupted the silence, but I couldn't be bothered to look up. I was waiting for the other door to open.

"Right this way Mr. Black. We'll be ready for you in a moment" A woman's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

Mr. Black…? _Jacob_ _Black_? My head immediately shot up and when my eyes met with the one face I was hoping to never see again, I almost felt like throwing up. Jacob was casually leaning against the front counter while the woman officer who was accompanying him walked through the back door.

"I was hoping I'd see you again" He purred as he looked me over in a creepy way.

My heart started racing and my stomach knotted until I felt like I couldn't breathe properly. "W-What are _you_ doing here?"

"Haven't you heard? I was the victim in your boyfriend's angry vendetta" He informed me before slightly raising his left arm. It was then that I noticed it was wrapped in a white sling. "It's not broken, just fractured…"

I scoffed out loud. "I should've known that you'd somehow be involved with this. Listen, I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing at but I'll let you know that it's not going to work!"

"You don't even know what happened. So how can you be certain that _he _is the innocent one?" Jacob was teasing and he knew it would agitate me.

I clenched my fists and felt my face start to boil up with anger. "Because you're a bloody lying -"

"We're ready for you now Mr. Black" The woman officer interrupted.

Jacob winked at me as he walked past and in response; I flipped him the bird just when the officer had turned her back.

Silence surrounded me once again. I couldn't believe what was happening! Before I got the chance to even begin to put the pieces together, the door opened again and this time my eyes brightly lit up.

"_Edward_!" I shouted out loud as a chubby looking officer led him into the room. When his head lifted up at the sound of his name, I lost all sense of control and accidently fell off the chair.

"_Bella_…" Edward was by my side in a flash and carefully helped me to my feet. "This is not my fault! You've got to believe when I say that I'm innocent"

"Of course I believe you!" I said strongly as I wrapped my arms tightly around his torso and clung onto the back of his jacket for dear life. "I trust you with my _life_!"

He sighed in relief and the warmth of his breath sent a tingly sensation throughout my entire body. Then I suddenly remembered about Jacob…

"Edward, _Jacob's_ up to something! He was here a moment ago and -"

The chubby officer rudely decided to ruin our moment by loudly clearing his throat. "Excuse me Mr. Cullen, but you need to sign some papers before you can leave"

I slowly let the fistfuls of Edward's jacket go and watched him walk over to sign the papers. When he was told that he was now free to leave, I rushed over and took hold of his hand. Edward didn't make eye contact with me, but he gave my hand a quick squeeze before the chubby man spoke again.

"Please follow me Mr. Cullen. I've been instructed to escort you back to Forks High School"

"No, there's no need for that. I've got my truck parked outside. I'll drive him back" I said, noticing that the officer didn't seem to care.

"Would you like to take it up with Chief Swan?" He asked, knowing quite well that my father would strongly disagree with my idea. In fact, he probably doesn't even know I'm still hanging around here.

Edward turned to face me and lowered his head to my level. "I'll meet you back at school ok?"

I looked over his shoulder and when I saw that the officer had made his way outside and over to one of the police vehicles, I whispered strongly back to him. "I'm not going back to school! You've _got _to tell me what the hell is going on Edward! What has Jacob got to do with all of this? He claimed that _he_ was the victim!"

"Ssshhh" Edward hushed me by placing his warm index finger on my lips. "I give you my word that I'll tell you later. But right now, just promise me that you'll drive safely… And I'll see you back at the school's parking lot"

I nodded in defeat and he gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head.

The drive back to school was torture and seemed to drag on forever. My truck had gotten separated from the police vehicle, no thanks to traffic lights, and I tried to go as fast a possible to catch up. By the time I had pulled into the parking lot, I noticed that Edward was waiting for my by his Volvo. He approached my side window and I quickly rolled it down.

"Would you like to come back to my place?" He asked me, knowing quite well that I was dying to have my questions answered.

I stared at his beautiful face as a rare beam of sunlight shone down on him, accentuating the colours in his tousled hair. There was no way in the world this god-like man could do anything wrong… He was perfect. "Absolutely! You've got a lot of explaining to do"

* * *

Edward handed me a glass of water, which I eagerly accepted. My mouth was so dry from all the worrying. He took a seat next to me on the couch and exhaled deeply before turning to face me.

"Alright, well I guess I'll start from the beginning… You know how I dropped you home yesterday?"

I nodded, placing the empty glass on the floor so I could pay full attention to what he was saying. Edward ran both of his hands through his hair while he appeared to struggle to find the right words.

"Well, I was making my way home when I suddenly noticed that an old Volkswagen Rabbit seemed to be following me. I thought it may have been a coincidence at first, you know, that maybe they just happened to be going the same way as me. But when the driver started to get a little close for comfort, I managed to get a look at who was behind the wheel…"

"Jacob" I whispered, knowing that I was correct.

Edward's eyebrows knitted together in anger and he dropped his eyes away from my gaze. "He kept indicating for me to pull over… I ignored him of course, assuming that he wanted to start another fight"

I gasped quietly as images of that horrible night flew back into my mind. The sight of Jacob throwing punches at Edward made my stomach churn and my eyes sting. "So what happened next?" I choked out the words, not really looking forward to hearing the answer.

Edward's eyes remained focused on some random spot on the floor. "He continued to follow me, occasionally threatening to bump into the back of me. He didn't though. I mean, if he got one scratch on the back of my baby maybe I would've taken him up on that fight, but I managed to keep my cool. That was until he suddenly swerved into the lane next to me. Lucky for him though, there wasn't any oncoming traffic. I turned my head to glance over at him, and there was this evil look upon his face, like he _really_ wanted to kill me. Anyway, it was at that point that I realised what he was about to do… Run me off the road" Edward paused for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose.

I was frozen in place, hanging on to his every word. This couldn't have been real! It sounded like something out of a movie…

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward's soft voice brought me out of my thoughts and caused me to look up into his eyes.

"Yeah… This just sounds surreal"

He swallowed and slightly nodded his head in agreement. "It doesn't get any better... Should I continue?"

I scanned over his worried expression, and found myself desperately wanting to hear the rest of it no matter how bad it was. My head gave a quick nod, and he closed his eyes for a few seconds to regather his thoughts.

"Ok. I have to admit that I was kind of panicking at the time. My mind was constantly thinking of you… And – and how I might never see you again. However, I think that it helped a lot. This feeling of determination suddenly boiled inside me, and I knew that this bastard wasn't going to get the better of me. I remember gripping the steering wheel with all my might and when I took another glance in Jacob's direction, everything happened in a split second. He yelled out in rage and spun his car over into my lane. Out of reflex, I slammed my foot as hard as possible on the brake and watched as his car swerved off the road and into a tree… Once the smoke from my tyres had died down, I got out of the car and went to check if he was still alive. When I saw that he was grasping his arm in pain, I decided to call for an ambulance. The operator said that one was actually currently in the area, so they'd be there in no time. Feeling satisfied that assistance would be there shortly, I started up the engine and continued on my way home"

"So you did everything you could to help him after he tried to _kill _you?" I stared at him directly and shook my head in utter disbelief. "You're amazing… I would've left him there"

Edward lowered his head and closed his eyes once again. "I'm just terribly sorry that I didn't tell you about this earlier. I didn't want to scare you Bella, and I had no idea that he was going to turn the story around and blame it all on me"

"There's nothing to worry about, Edward. This is _not_ your fault and my father will see to it that Jacob gets what he deserves… _Prison!_"

We were both quiet after that, and I took the opportunity to reach over and gently take one of his hands in my own. His eyes darted over to watch how I entwined my fingers with his. Slowly, I brought both of our hands up to my lips and placed a soft kiss across his knuckles. When my eyes connected with his shining green ones, I noticed a small smile crept onto his lips.

"This is not your fault" I repeated, reaching out to caress the side of his face.

"Bella…" Edward whispered my name so beautifully that is caused my heart to flutter. He ever so slowly leaned in and gazed longingly into my eyes. "I love you" He spoke those three words with so much passion that my entire body melted in pure bliss at the sound of it.

"I love you too, Edward!" I replied with an equal amount of passion.

And with that, I closed the gap and happily kissed him on the lips.

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**So what do you think? I'm so sorry that I kept you guys waiting all week to find out what was going on. I apologise, but you want me to take the time and write it properly don't you? Lol. Thanks for the awesome reviews!!! **


	20. Chapter 20

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Edward and I spent the remainder of the day in front of the TV, happily watching movies and eating junk food. However, I was currently in a world of my own, laying back against Edward's chest and thinking about how perfect life would be if we could remain like this forever.

As the movie credits began to roll, I stretched my legs out and blissfully sighed as Edward wrapped his warm arms around me. But it was at that moment when my eyes caught a glimpse of his watch.

"Oh _no_…" I moaned as I buried my head into his shirt.

Edward waited for me to elaborate but I simply held onto him and inhaled his intoxicating scent "What's wrong?" He finally spoke up when he realised that I wasn't going to say anything.

"I should be heading off soon. School is nearly out for the day and if I'm not there when Charlie gets home…" I trailed off when I felt Edward's warm fingers running gently through my hair.

"I don't want you to go" He murmured, moving his fingertips down along my jaw line which caused my stomach to flip.

I sat up straight and turned to face him. "Well… Maybe you could come back to my place. You know, we could talk things over with Charlie. Find out what's going to happen -"

Edward let a short dry laugh escape his lips, causing me to lose focus of what I was saying. "I um… I don't think that's a good idea Bella. Your father spent the morning interrogating me; I don't think that he'll be impressed if he finds me in your house"

"Well, he's going to have to get used to it sooner or later" I tried to sound as seductive as possible as I slowly ran one of my hands up his chest until I reached his slightly stubbled cheek.

A mischievous grin appeared on his face, and before I knew it, he grabbed my waist and hoisted me on top of his lap so that I was facing him. A soft moan escaped my lips, and as if releasing a wild beast within him, he brought me forward until our lips crashed together.

"Edward" I breathed his name once our lips had slowly separated. "You're making it very difficult for me to leave you know"

"Mmm" He grinned as he pressed his lips against mine to keep me from talking.

I smiled and gave his chest a playful slap. We continued making out for a few more minutes until I managed to force myself to pull away. My fingers played at the collar of his shirt as I looked into his beautiful hypnotic green eyes.

"Edward, as much as I _really_ don't want to leave you right now… I have to"

He reluctantly nodded and as I watched a small heart-rending frown appear on his face, I almost caved in. We stared longingly into each others eyes for a couple of seconds, soaking in every little detail.

"Come on" Edward suddenly whispered, breaking me out of my trance. "I'll walk you to your truck" He then proceeded to gently lift me off his lap and help me to my feet.

We silently made our way down to where my truck was parked outside, and Edward chivalrously opened the driver's side door for me. Before getting into my truck I turned to face him and reached out to give him a hug. He chuckled softly as he wrapped his arms around my small frame and pulled me closer.

"Everything's going to work out, Edward" My words were slightly muffled by the close proximity of his chest.

"I hope so" He whispered against the top of my head.

I stepped back a little so that I could look up at him and spoke as confidently as I could. "Trust me when I say that my father is the best Forks has to offer when it comes to finding justice in this town. He _will_ find you innocent, and Jacob will get what he deserves"

Edward nodded and leant down to kiss me one last time.

* * *

Upon hearing Charlie's vehicle pull into the driveway, I rushed down the stairs two at a time and amazingly managed _not_ to trip.

"So how did it go? You've charged Jacob right? Is he going to jail? -"

"_Whoa_, Bells. Calm down!" Charlie quickly interrupted me, hanging his jacket by the door. "Give a man one minute to walk in the door"

"Sorry… But please tell me that you believe Edward's side of the story"

"I do…" He mumbled as he walked past me and into the kitchen.

I stood still and blinked a few times until his words had sunk in. "You believe him? That's excellent news!" I beamed in delight as I spun around and made my way over to where he had his back turned.

However, when he turned around to face me, my smile quickly disappeared. "Dad… Why do you have that look on your face?"

"Honey, why don't we go over to the couch and sit down for a moment" Charlie stepped around the kitchen bench and gently guided me into the living room.

Before I got the chance to say anything, Charlie sighed heavily and turned to face me on the couch. "After we found Jacob guilty of attempted murder, we temporarily locked him up in one of the cells at the back of the station…"

I waited anxiously for him to continue but he dropped his eye contact and leant forward in his seat. I blinked rapidly before asking him "Ok. So he's locked up for the meanwhile, that's great. When do you think he'll be moved to a proper jail cell?"

"He _escaped_, Bella!" Charlie finally blurted out in agonised frustration. "Somehow Jacob Black managed to escape!"

I immediately gasped and covered my mouth in shock. My eyes started to sting and my stomach felt like it was knotting up and choking me on the inside. Then the sound of Charlie's voice suddenly jolted me.

"We've got men out there searching for him as we speak. I'll be heading out there and joining them myself -"

"W-what do you mean?" I stammered, suddenly feeling very numb and dizzy. "Are you leaving me here by myself while he's out there?"

Charlie wrapped an arm around me in a comforting way and assured me that I had nothing to worry about. "We'll find him Bella. We've already got a surveillance team set up at his place in case he decides to go home"

I found my head nodding, even though I didn't believe for a minute that Jacob would be heading home. No. He's going to want to track down - "_Edward_!" I blurted out, jumping up from my seat. "I have to warn him Dad! Jacob's going to go after him!"

Charlie was suddenly by my side and grabbed onto my shoulders to stop me from panicking. "Ssshhhhh. I've already sent someone over to Edward's place to keep an eye out. Don't worry about him either, I told you that we've got it under control"

It took a few minutes before I could begin to calm down and compose myself, but I finally managed pull myself together. After Charlie had heated up some macaroni and cheese for dinner, he made certain that I was alright about being alone for the night while he went out to search for Jacob. I lied to him and said that I would be fine, and surprisingly he believed me. The moment he left, the house became completely silent and an eerie feeling suddenly washed over me. I grabbed my phone and ran upstairs to my bedroom where I felt safe.

Fumbling with the buttons, I frantically dialled Edward's number. I desperately needed to hear his voice and make sure that he was ok.

"Come on pick up, pick up, pick up" I muttered impatiently as I held the phone to my ear and tapped my foot. Eventually it went to his voicemail. "Edward when you get this, I need you to call me back as soon as possible ok? I _really_ need to talk to you" After hanging up, I flipped the phone shut and flopped lifelessly onto my bed.

A few seconds later, a bright light suddenly shone through the window and momentarily lit up the room. Car headlights, I figured, when I heard the sound of a vehicle approaching. Curious to find out who it was, I quickly rolled off the bed and crawled across the floor to peer out of the window. From my crouched position, my head slowly peaked over the window sill to get a better look. I could see the silhouette shadow of a car, but it was now dark outside and since the headlights had been turned off, it was impossible to make out whose car it actually was. I held my breath and nervously waited to see if anyone would step out.

Just then, my phone's ringtone broke the silence and completely scared the shit out of me. I screamed and instinctively ducked for cover, holding my hands over my head. When the song continued to play, I finally realised what was happening and tried to ignore my stupidity as I rushed over to grab my phone. My heart rate was beating a million miles per hour until I saw the caller ID.

"_Edward_!" I breathed heavily, sounding like I had just run a marathon.

"I just got your voice message… Bella, are you alright?"

"No I'm not alright!" I half hissed, half whispered into the phone. "There's someone parked out the front of my house and it's totally freaking me out! I don't know what to do… Charlie's left me here all alone and -"

"Bella, it's me!" Edward interrupted my crazed rant. I sat there wide eyed as I heard his laughter ring through the phone. "It's me, I'm the one parked out the front. Look out the window"

Following his instructions and headed back over to the window and peered out to see the car's headlights turned back on and shining directly onto Edward's body. He chuckled once more and waved up at me. I rolled my eyes and slammed the phone shut before running downstairs to let him in.

"What the hell did you think you were doing? You scared the crap out of me man!"

Edward took me in his arms and rubbed my back to try and calm me down. "I'm so sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was scare you" He pulled back so he could look me in the eyes. "I was driving around to clear my mind, and when I found myself in your neighbourhood... Well, when I noticed that Chief Swan's vehicle was missing… And then I listened to your voice message… I just want to make sure you're safe Bella"

Suddenly my eyes flickered from his gaze and rapidly scanned the front yard. "Neither of us are safe, Edward" I whispered.

"You're trembling! Bella, what's going on?" Edward asked as I hastily pulled him into the house and locked the door behind us.

I held onto his coat and moved closer to him for comfort. When he protectively had me wrapped in his arms, tears started to roll down my cheeks as I lifted my head and whispered "I don't want to lose you"

Edward narrowed his eyes in a confused manner and gently wiped away my tears with his thumb. "I'm not going anywhere. Why are you acting like this?" Then something seemed to have dawned on him. "Oh… Hold on. Does Charlie believe that I'm _guilty_?"

"No, no, no, no, no it's not that! In fact, he believes you're _innocent_!" And then I proceeded to tell him everything, from Jacob being taken into custody, to escaping from his cell, to the fact that I believed that Edward was now in grave danger.

When I had finished explaining the current situation to him, I looked up to find his face contorted with anger. However, his face softened quickly when he caught me starring at him. Slowly, he brought his hands up so that he was cupping my face and spoke solemnly to me. "I will _never_ let anything happen to you Bella. I promise that I will protect you from him!"

"But I'm worrying about you… It's _you_ that he wants to hurt"

Edward shook his head in disagreement and my mouth shot open to say something, but he placed both of his thumbs over my lips to stop me. "I don't want you to worry about any of this -"

"You sound just like my father! Why am I the only one who thinks that Jacob is extremely dangerous? We _should_ be worrying! He wants to kill you and do god knows what to me…"

"Don't you dare doubt for a second that I don't think that he is dangerous. Of course I do! But every officer in Forks is out there right now looking for him. And we're safe right where we are, ok? I'm not leaving you!"

"You're staying here with me?" I asked softly.

A small smile tugged at his lip as he looked down at my vulnerable form. He gradually moved his face closer to mine until our lips were almost touching. "Where else would I rather be?"

Then it was my turn to smile as I closed the distance between our lips.


End file.
